


Shards of Glass

by soranokumo



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Canon - Original Game, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-05-10
Updated: 2004-05-09
Packaged: 2017-10-19 07:21:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 118,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/198353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soranokumo/pseuds/soranokumo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack wakes up in a hospital a few years following the fall of Meteor. He searches for Cloud, but when he finds him, he discovers that a lot more has happened to Cloud than he can imagine, and even more begins to unravel than he wants to believe. Multiple pairings, implied and explicit sex, and explicit language and violence.</p><p>Originally typed up in Summer 2001. Edited during Summer 2004-2005.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_And you don't seem to understand  
A shame you seemed an honest man  
And all the fears you hold so dear  
Will turn to whisper in your ear  
And you know what they say might hurt you  
And you know that it means so much  
And you don't even feel a thing_

 _I am falling, I am fading  
I have lost it all_

 _And you don't seem the lying kind  
A shame that I can read your mind  
And all the things that I read there  
Candle-lit smile that we both share  
And you know that I don't mean to hurt you  
But you know that it means so much  
And you don't even feel a thing_

 _I am falling, I am fading, I am drowning  
Help me to breathe  
I am hurting, I have lost it all, I am losing  
Help me to breathe..._

\--"Duvet", the opening song for "Serial Experiments Lain",  
performed by BOA.

***

A soft whir, click, and the release of air. Whir, click, release. The pattern played itself over and over again, even worse than the constant drone of the medical machines or the beeping of the health monitor.

Whir, click, release.

Since when had breathing become so hard?

He squinted open his eyes cautiously, wincing at the burning sensation from the lights above. They were harsh, white, and sterile. The sterility appalled him, reminded him of things, but he could shove the memories into the back of his mind until it was easier to think about them.

The longer he stared, the less intense the brightness became, until he could make out lines and shapes. It was becoming easier, these days; perhaps his eyes were coming back to life just like the rest of his body. He hated his weakness, and he thought ruefully to the days that he could get hurt and pick himself up and move on within hours, days. Not months, years, like now. He would be able to move on again, though, as soon as his body remembered how. Move on. Moving on, to find what he had left behind...

Whir, click, release.

Simple mechanisms, simple mantra for meditation. Easy enough to focus on, when things became too sharp to think about.

His eyes roved, looking over the details that he had worked out in his head ever since he first woke up. The nightstand to his right and the windows beyond that, the metal table and chairs across the room, the large mass of machinery to his left and the door. He avoided looking at his left side because of the machines, but the right wasn't much better, because the windows were always closed. He kept hoping that one of the nurses would open them someday, that he could breathe in real air instead of the clean molecules they kept pumping into his lungs. And he hoped that they would open the blinds far enough so he could really see, see the sky, the sun, the moon, the clouds...

Clouds.

Whir, click, release.

Clouds? No, just one Cloud, really.

Whir, click, release.

How long had it been? Did the boy even remember him? If he saw him again, would he even want to?

He hoped so.

Whir, click, release.

The door opened, but he paid it no attention. It was the doctor and his nurses, of course, in for the regular check-up. Damned doctors, always poking and prodding and trying to figure out just what the hell he was... He wondered if they'd ever figure it out, that he had been a Soldier, one of the best there ever was, until smoke and flames and Mako had choked him out of the records. One of the very best, until pleading blue eyes had begged him to stay, and the bullets had found their way into his chest.

He was alive, though. Somehow. He shouldn't be.

Whir, click, release.

And it was strange, too, the things he remembered from those days, and that day in particular. He remembered the grey clouds overhead, ready to soak them in rain, and the way those blue eyes had met his, so bright, so strange, so distant... and the way the recognition and feelings had just clicked into place behind their Mako glow, cognisant and then--

Whir, click, release.

He noticed that the nurses had stopped stretching his limbs, and were walking out the door, but something seemed strange, and it was then he realized that the doctor had not gone out with them. That was different. He wondered if the doctor was talking to him, but his eyesight wasn't good enough to make out a moving mouth, and all he heard were the machines...

"...and it's time, hmm?"

Whir, click, release.

He blinked, not just at the recognition of those words, but in recognition of the smile on the man's face. His eyes were focused on that smile, and suddenly flew to the man's hands, which were moving, and holding something, and it looked like a needle and--

Whir.

 _"Zack..."_

Click.

 _"...ack, I'm..."_

Release.

***

Zack walked into the lobby of the new Shinra Building with a limp and a smile. Junon had changed since the last time he had roved its streets, but the Building had only been expanded upon, and not moved. That had made it easy to find, which was good because his legs still weren't what they used to be.

He loped his way to the information desk, and grinned at the receptionist with all of his normal winsome charm.

"Excuse me, but I'm looking for Cloud Strife?"

The receptionist looked up, startled from whatever it was she had been doing at her computer--which, unless Shinra receptionists had changed with the rest of the company, was probably limited to solitaire--and blinked at him from behind her glasses. She was blushing already--good to know he hadn't lost his charm--and searched her mind for an answer.

"Err, Cloud Strife?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'd heard that I could find him here."

She busied herself by looking through the notebook of appointments, obviously trying her best to distract herself while she fished around for some answers. He leaned against the top of the desk, palms flat against the black marble top, letting it support most of his weight, and waited.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, as she picked up a note from the side of her desk, "but Strife left the company yesterday on leave. I doubt he'll be back in the building for another few days or so."

"Do you have any idea where I might be able to find him?"

"I'm sorry, sir," she repeated, "but that information is classified."

Zack blinked. "Classified? The man's address is classified?"

"Yes, sir. Only approved members of Avalanche, the Manufacturing Department of Administrative Research, and the copresidents are allowed to have access to that information."

He leaned back, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "What about old friends? Can you at least give me a clue?"

She glanced at his all-black outfit, and held a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. "Well, you certainly dress a lot alike. But still..."

"You need the proper clearance, right?"

"Yes..." She glanced down regretfully at the note, and again at Zack, and leaned closer to him. "Look, I can't exactly give it to you, but if a piece of paper with the information just happens to slip over the desk, and you happen to find it, that works, right?"

"Of course, and you can trust me to keep quiet about this."

"I just have a question..." She started writing down the address on another slip of paper, small and discreet. "How do you know Strife? Everyone knows his only friends are in Avalanche."

"Well, he had to learn how to swing a sword from someone, didn't he?"

***

The statement had sounded so strange to the woman's ears that she claimed to have no choice but to believe him, and a few minutes later Zack stood outside the building, looking at a slip of paper with a rather strange "address" on it: _Top of the northern Junon cliffs. Follow third street north until it hits "dead end" and closed off path._ He thought he had a pretty good idea what the receptionist meant, but he was more surprised that Cloud's residence was so far out of the way. He knew Cloud hadn't liked living in cities, but something about the location made him uneasy.

Still, he found the chocobo stable nearest to the northern edge of the city, and before noon Zack was maneuvering the chocobo around the "ROAD CLOSED" signs blocking the path up the cliffs, relieved that his search had finally yielded an answer. He had only been out of the hospital for a few days, during which he had discovered his Shinra account untouched, and had used the money to rent a room at one of Junon's many inns. He used the time to continue reacquainting his body to movement and his mind to the new world; since he had spent a month in the hospital doing physical rehab, his body didn't have a problem. His mind, however...

Well, a lot had changed since he had been shot. He grasped the basics easily enough: three years had passed since "Meteor" fell, and eight since Nibelheim burnt down. What amazed him were the stories he heard, about the death of the old President Shinra and the rise of his son, Rufus, to power... about a man impersonating Sephiroth, out on the loose... about the group, Avalanche, and the strange role its members played in the events that unfolded... and about the giant rock, Meteor, how it was going to slam into the planet and how they were miraculously saved.

Even more puzzling, however, were the whispers of Cloud Strife, scattered throughout the stories...

But, he knew better than to make conclusions until he finally met his old friend and heard the full story from him.

Zack directed the chocobo up the steep path that followed the cliffs outside the main city, and the large bird started up at an easy pace. Zack rubbed his left leg and winced at the thought of hiking all the way up himself; the path was gravelly, and wound its way around the cliffs so that it took another hour before they reached the top. Once there, the cabin sat in plain view, arranged so it overlooked the cliffs, the sea, the city, and the valleys that stretched behind Junon, all the way back to the Midgar Mountains. The cabin itself was wooden, with a brick chimney, windows on all sides, and even what looked like a small chocobo stable in the back.

He dismounted, and the chocobo trotted to the stable with a chirrup. Zack wasn't too surprised to hear another chocobo answer it, but then he went up the porch's steps, to the front door. He steeled himself, and knocked.

There was no answer.

Zack waited, and knocked again a little louder. When there was still no answer, he looked around and then decided to go to the back of the cabin. He had taken only a few steps away from the front door when he heard a soft yell, and looked out farther along the cliffs. He kicked himself for not noticing it before. From the shadows of the porch, he watched as a familiar small, lithe body went through an exercise of sword forms, recognizing each step, each swing of the sword, each thrust and pause between sequences. From this distance, he could only make out the gold hair, grown out long and gathered in a tail, and the pale limbs against the dark clothes. He hesitated, then stepped down from the porch and walked closer.

The young man did not stop, even though Zack knew he surely sensed his presence. But Zack realized that Cloud's eyes were closed, despite the fact that he often came so close to the cliffs, and he waited patiently for him to finish.

He did, with one final swing that cleaved a nearby stone outcropping in two. And, as soon as he finished, the blue eyes opened, the Mako glow soft.

"Whomever you are," he started to say, straightening, his eyes leaving the blade and going straight to Zack's face. The moment their gazes met, however, his voice froze, and neither of the two said anything. Zack grinned disarmingly, tried to ease his old friend's obvious tension.

"I don't look that bad, do I?"

"You..." Cloud's eyes jumped quickly up and down his body, and the gloved hand that rose to cover his mouth shook. "Gods... I must be... I'm seeing ghosts..."

Zack would have laughed, but softened his smile and held open his arms instead. "Not a ghost, kiddo. It's me."

"Zack..." His name was uttered so softly that for a moment Zack had a hard time fending off the memories that threatened to rise again, but suddenly his arms were full of Cloud. He didn't hear the sobs, but he felt the warmth of tears through his shirt, felt the desperate curl of Cloud's fingers around his coat, felt the shudders. He closed his eyes, heard himself muttering a litany of comforts, and forgot for a few moments that he had ever been dead.

***

He wasn't certain how long they stood there. He only realized how little warmth the sun was giving out, and how cold the gusts of wind from the sea were, especially when Cloud finally pulled back. He looked up at Zack, face still wet, his eyes searching his face before finally settling on his eyes again.

"Zack," he said again, and he smiled back.

"You okay, now?"

"No... but that's okay. I'll get over it. I think." Cloud took a deep breath, wet his lips and hesitated, "I mean, you're really here, aren't you..."

He laughed. "You don't sound so certain."

"I've had plenty of reasons to doubt myself, since..." Cloud turned away, walking back over to the stone. He jerked on the sword handle to free it from the stone, lifted it and settled it against his back. "Why don't we go inside?"

"Sure." He knew better than to ask any of the questions he wanted to ask, and simply walked beside his friend back to the front porch. Cloud opened the door when Zack remembered he had left a duffle with some spare things with the chocobo.

"Don't worry about it," Cloud said as Zack stepped in. "I'll go back and get it when I release the chocobo..."

"Do you have two?" Zack asked, and Cloud scratched his head.

"Well... I only have one with me, and the others are all kept in the main stable out on the plains..." When Zack blinked at him, Cloud smiled and shrugged. "I had to do a lot of things while you were away."

"I can tell." He smiled again, encouraging. "You've improved... so much. Seriously, kiddo, how'd you learn to fight like that?"

"I had a good teacher." And though Cloud kept smiling, there was something transparent and uneasy about both the answer and the smile that worried Zack. He ignored it, and turned his attention to the inside of Cloud's cabin.

He wasn't surprised to find it well-kept; even back when they roomed together in the barracks, Cloud had always managed to keep the place clean, no matter how much Zack tried to distract him from cleaning, except for the occasions when Cloud had been too sick to clean... But the welcoming den was clean, and spacious with several large pieces of plush furniture. Zack had a hard time believing that Cloud had picked any of it out, but then the photographs framed over the small fireplace grabbed his attention, and he wandered over to those.

"Can I fix you anything to eat?" Cloud asked from behind the bar that separated the den from the kitchen.

"You eating anything?" Zack asked, and Cloud shook his head. "Then don't worry about it." He looked back at the photographs, seeing the same group of people in each one. He wasn't too surprised; he had imagined that Avalanche itself had been a small group. He recognized one face instantly, picking up the nearest frame and holding it, peering at it closer. "Tifa?" he said, surprised. "Tifa Lockheart?"

"Yeah." Cloud's soft voice from beside him startled him, and he took the cold glass of water that Cloud offered him, while the younger man looked at the photograph too. "Zangan managed to save her."

"Who's everyone else?" Zack squinted his eyes. "Is that... Captain Highwind?"

Cloud nodded. "The big man standing beside him is Barret Wallace. He was the leader of Avalanche when I joined up. Tifa was the one that talked me into it. The girl on Tifa's right is Yuffie Kisaragi, Lord Godo's daughter."

"Who's the scary guy beside you?"

A soft chuckle. "That's Vincent Valentine."

"Holy shit. No way."

"And the fire lion standing in front of us is Nanaki, though Hojo designated him Red XIII."

"Is that... Reeve? There, with the moogle and cat?"

"Yeah. The cat's called Cait Sith. Reeve actually wasn't with us the entire time, but he controlled Cait Sith somehow. We still haven't got him to tell us how he does it. And..." Cloud put the photograph up on the mantle, and took another, much smaller photograph down. It was unframed and had been sitting beneath a different photograph, and Cloud fingered it carefully before handing it to Zack. "But that photograph doesn't have all of us. There was someone else, too."

"Was...?" Zack took the photo, and froze when he saw it. He looked up at Cloud, paling, only to see that Cloud was staring into his own glass of water. "How did she...?"

"I don't know if I could have ever stopped it," Cloud whispered. "I'm sorry, Zack."

"Sorry? Cloud, what the hell happened?"

"It's... a long story..."

Zack looked back down, touching a fingertip against the pale face, the small smile. "I've got time. Do you?"

"Y-yeah..."

***

So Cloud told his story. Zack listened to it unfold with no small amount of shock, realizing just why everyone spoke of three years ago in such whispers. For one, he doubted anyone outside of Avalanche or the upper branches of Shinra had any idea about everything that had gone on, and two, Cloud had to have become a fairly recognizable face around the world. They had moved to the couch for Cloud to tell his story, and by the time he was done, Zack felt sickeningly numb. It was impossible for him to imagine everything Cloud had gone through, everything that had happened, and yet... it had.

And presumably, all while he had been stuck in a hospital.

"Gods," he murmured, leaning against the back of the couch and running a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Cloud tipped his refilled glass of water back; the remains of the ice chinked together. "You shouldn't be," he said quietly. "It's not your fault."

"Cloud, I left you alone--"

"No you didn't." He looked to Cloud sharply, but the sudden calmness in Cloud's gaze stopped him. "Didn't you hear a word I said? I became you, for a little while, Zack. Or someone who was like you." He put the glass down on the table. "I wouldn't let you leave me. I took as much of you with me as I could."

"But Cloud... shadows of people aren't real people..."

"I know." This time Cloud leaned back, closing his eyes, and Zack was momentarily distracted by the pale arch of his throat, the way his hair fell messily around his face... Cloud had changed, and grown, just--

 _You're not really your age, are you?_ He sobered, knowing that a lot of it had to do with the processes Hojo forced Cloud through when they were both held prisoner beneath Nibelheim; at least Cloud hadn't needed to relive that horror through again for him. He remembered it himself all too well.

"Za-kun," Cloud said. "There's something else."

"Hmm?"

Cloud cracked open his eyes, staring at the ceiling, staring at nothing, Zack wasn't sure. "I... I haven't been well... or entirely myself... since Meteor fell."

"What do you mean?"

"I only came out of the mental institution six months ago. I'd been in there for about a year. Maybe more. I think so, anyway. I can't remember it well."

"Mental institution?"

"I didn't want to go. But the others... talked me into it. They were scared of me, Za-kun..."

"Scared? Why?"

"I thought I still saw him. Still heard him. Felt him, sometimes." Hurt, then, creeped into his voice, which had already grown more tired than before. "Then... I got out of hand... I scared them... so they locked me up. I shouldn't blame them, but..." Cloud looked to Zack, then, voice, face softening. "You see why I was... afraid when I first saw you? I thought I was losing it again." He smiled, cautiously, and the transparency wasn't there this time. "You're... you're really here."

"Yeah. Don't ask me how, though." Zack reached a hand over to ruffle Cloud's hair, like he used to, but his fingers started stroking the golden strands instead. "I just know I woke up lately. The doctors said I showed up awhile ago, but they wouldn't give me specifics. Had something to do with the recommendation of the physician who was taking care of me."

Cloud's brow furrowed. "I hate doctors."

"I know, kiddo. So do I." Zack hesitated. "Cloud, were you... treated okay?"

"I don't remember it all that well," Cloud said with a half-hearted shrug. He closed his eyes, leaned closer to Zack as Zack continued to stroke his hair. Zack grinned, _Still susceptible to hair-petting. Heh._ Cloud shifted to sit closer, then said, "I remember it being cold a lot. And dark a lot. And scared... so scared, Zack... It was like back then, only worse."

"Worse?"

"Za-kun... I was only let out because we lied."

Zack blinked. "We? Who?"

"Me. The Avalanchers who could actually visit me, without me... going weird. And... I stopped putting up a fight when they gave me my medicine. They didn't know, really, I don't think so... that I was still... but not so badly anymore, or at least not that I could remember... so we lied. My doctor... couldn't tell we were lying, or something... Signed the release papers so long as I signed an agreement saying I would take my medicine."

"Do you?"

"No. I don't like what it does to me."

"Cloud..."

"And I don't think it worked."

"Hmm. What was his name?"

"Professor Jurian Gren. The others would tell me that they checked all of his records, and doublechecked them, and even had the Turks do a background investigation before they let him near me. But..." Cloud rubbed his right arm, worrying his lower lip. "But... I didn't like him, either."

"I wouldn't think you would." Zack looked across the room at the window, noting just how much time had passed. "So you lied."

"Y-yes..."

"Then that means you still...?"

Cloud pulled away from him, standing up and walking back to the mantle, photographs in hand. He put them back in their places, looking at the others, and finally nodded. "Sometimes. I think I do. Everyone told me I didn't really see anything. The doctor told me I didn't see him, I just thought I did. I saw him again lately... he said something to me. I told Vincent... he told me I should probably take a few days off. So, I'm here, and I haven't seen him at all." He looked back at Zack, a small smile on his face. "Maybe you scared him away, Za-kun."

Zack did his best to smile back, and succeeded, at least well enough for Cloud to look back at the photographs. His shoulders didn't slump as much.

"He's coming, you know."

"He?"

"Vincent. Nanaki's coming with him. I almost forgot."

Zack felt a little alarmed at the prospect of meeting Cloud's friends so soon, and said, "When?"

"Not until tomorrow afternoon. Still." Cloud turned back to Zack. "You... wanna stay here?"

"Sure, I mean, all that I own I have with me in that bag I brought with the chocobo."

Cloud grinned. "No it's not. I found it all, Zack, beneath Midgar after Meteor fell. Shinra didn't throw everything away--they kept some of it, and I found it."

"You didn't bring everything, did you?"

"No, no. Just... the important things. I have it all in my room--" Cloud stopped, seemed to realize he was talking a little too fast. "I... I'll go get it for you, Zack. And I'll get your things from the chocobo. You... do want to meet the others, right?"

"'Course I do, Cloud-kun."

"Right." And Cloud left, presumably to go free the chocobo and retrieve Zack's things. This left Zack to his own devices, and he wandered about the cabin, glad to see the bathroom had a tub that doubled as a shower, and the bedroom had a bed that looked five times too big for anyone of Cloud's size. That didn't mean it would be too big for anyone else, but he thought Cloud must look tiny in it, all wrapped up in the black sheets. He wondered at the somber tones in the bedroom; they differed from the livelier--if still quiet--hues of the rest of the house. He didn't have long to check out the rest before Cloud returned, carefully handing Zack his duffle before stepping into his room. Cloud went to the farthest side of the bed, dragged something out from beneath it, and opened it.

Growing curious, Zack wandered closer to see the lid of the trunk leaning against Cloud's bed, and Cloud put a large folder on the bed, before placing a few other items alongside it, not the least of which included some of Zack's old civilian clothing. Cloud then quickly shut the trunk and shoved it back under, standing up and flipping open the folder.

"I didn't get everything..." he said, looking up at Zack. "Just things that I thought were important. And... and your Buster Sword's back at my sword case in Junon."

"I was wondering if you really wandered out here every night after work," Zack mumbled absently, looking at the various photographs, surprised to see so many of them still in good shape. He recognized them all, knew that if he slid one of them out from their protective sleeves that he'd know the handwriting and the words scrawled on the back of each one. His eyes then strayed to the other objects, a few of the wooden figures he had whittled, his all-purpose pocket knife, his old clothes including his favorite leather jacket... "The important things, huh?"

"Yeah... to me, I mean, so..."

"No, don't worry. I... I'm really glad." He looked up, saw Cloud flipping farther along the album. "Hey. Have you heard at all from squad zeta?"

He shook his head. "No... I looked into it when I was made head of SOLDIER... Squad zeta was wiped out by an accident in Gongaga..."

"What?"

"The same one... remember, I told you? We saw your parents, and the reactor had exploded... It was sometime after our escape from Nibelheim."

Zack sat down on Cloud's bed, heavy. He felt as though the weight of everything he had learned that day dragged him down, and he looked to see Cloud staring at the floor, eyes clamped shut.

"Hey, Cloud...?"

"Yeah," he whispered.

"I think... we oughta stop for now."

***

They did stop, and after the silence had been dwelt with motionless reflection upon their conversation, Cloud finally moved. He told Zack that he was going to make something to eat, and Zack could put his things wherever he wanted. Then he shuffled out, feet dragging against the carpet, just enough as though Cloud wanted to keep himself grounded. Zack heard him pick up his feet in the hall, where there was no carpet, and then began to hear sounds from the kitchen.

He picked up one of the figurines, a little chocobo he had carved for Cloud's amusement one summer day when they were relaxing from a mission out in the middle of nowhere, up in the Midgar Mountains, and he remembered the way Cloud had smiled back then, the way he had laughed back then. He had never been completely open to Zack, even then, but he had been. There were less shadows and mirrors back then, to try to guess which was the real Cloud Strife. This Cloud... was the old Cloud, only...

 _I didn't think it was possible for things to get worse. Gods._

It took him several more moments to pick the various objects up. He set the figurines on Cloud's desk, which was extremely organized, and he did so in a little unoccupied area of the desk's bookshelf. He put the clothes into his duffle, except for his jacket which he left out on top. Then, there was the album, which he began to flip through. It wasn't until he was halfway through that he noticed that there were many, many photographs missing.

 _Sephiroth isn't in any of these. That's not right. I know I took pictures of Seph, and they have to be around here somewhere..._

But the photos weren't anywhere in the album. He checked the back pockets of the folder, thinking perhaps Cloud might have hidden them, but there were still none. He briefly considered looking to see what else could be in Cloud's trunk, but decided that it wasn't his place, though he might ask Cloud about it later.

Dinner helped ease things back into some kind of normalcy, and Zack was thankful for the food. It was a Nibelheim recipe, a soup that Cloud had apparently taken to fixing for himself since he could always save it and have it again later, that it was good for him and tasted good enough that he didn't mind having it so much when he stayed out here. Zack managed to get him talking a little about happier things, the moments of celebration Avalanche had shared after Meteor had fallen and things had settled down.

When they were done, and everything cleared away, Cloud said that he was going to go shower, and that Zack was welcome to do anything he liked. When Cloud disappeared into the shower, Zack walked through the rest of the cabin, but didn't see anything else interesting, just a laundry room and a storage room. So he went back to the kitchen, checking the cabinets and the refrigerator to see what else Cloud had, and then finally settled down in the den again. Stretching out across the couch, he listened to the running water of the shower, realized just how late it really was, and that prompted him to wonder how they were going to arrange sleeping.

 _Well, that bed's certainly large enough for the two of us, with space to spare._ He was uncertain just how good of an idea that would be, especially for him to suggest it. Yes, Cloud probably remembered--vaguely, at least--that the two had slept sometimes in the same bed or bunk or sleeping roll, but... those had been different times, different circumstances. Even during their escape from Nibelheim, Cloud had clung to him in his sleep because he had been afraid of everything, his mind too far gone from Hojo's experimentation for him to fail to associate everything with that experimentation... and even before that, when Cloud was just a Shinra trooper, it was always completely innocent. _But Cloud had been more innocent back then, too, which is probably the only reason why I didn't hit on him like I wanted to. Gods, he's still beautiful._

Sighing, Zack closed his eyes, felt his own limbs tired from that long ride up the side of the cliffs. His body was awakening to a rough start, but he had it in his mind to have it back to full Soldier capacities soon enough.

 _Well, whatever he wants. Hell, I'll take the couch--anything's better than that damned medical bed._

It was then that the hair on his arms stood up and Zack immediately sat up, staring around uneasily. The temperature had dropped, noticeably, within the span of a second, so much that he saw the windows fogging up and his breath misting. The shower water was still running; he could hear it, but he couldn't hear Cloud, and that worried him for some reason.

"What the hell's going on?" he muttered, and went to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Cloud?" he called, but heard nothing but the water running. He opened the bathroom door and stepped in, "Cloud, is everything all right?"

A soft yelp came from within the shower stall, and Zack looked to the misted glass doors hiding the occupant from immediate view. The doors managed to hide enough of the occupant's body to reveal the lines but none of the details, and despite all of this Zack suddenly found himself very self-conscious.

None of the cold he had felt in the den was here. It was all very warm and a little humid, and Zack swallowed when one of the doors slid open and Cloud peeked out, blinking water out of his eyes, his golden hair only a shade darker and hanging damply against his head.

"Zack?" he asked. He looked and sounded completely normal.

"Ah, I just..." Zack gathered himself, knowing that what he had to say would sound ridiculous. "I was wondering... did you feel something just now?"

"Feel something?"

"Yeah. Did it get cold for a moment?"

"Cold?" Cloud shook his head. "No..."

"Ah. I would say it was just me, except the windows fogged up, and last I checked you didn't seem to have an air conditioner up here..."

Cloud shrugged, and slid shut the glass door again. Zack couldn't help but watch the pale body return to bathing. "I didn't feel anything, and maybe... I dunno, a materia discharge? That's happened before--"

"Materia discharge?"

"Sometime after Meteor fell, materia began to act strangely," Cloud said. "Every now and then, a materia would release energy. No one's figured out why yet, though Nanaki said it might have something to do with the way the Lifestream surged to the earth's surface when Meteor fell. The worst one was when Yuffie's contain materia petrified one of her cats."

"Shit."

"Pretty much all materia's been gathered up and put in special vaults beneath the Junon headquarters building, to limit damage."

"Then if what happened was because of a materia--"

"Don't worry about it, Zack. Please?" The water stopped, and the door slid open again. Cloud leaned to reach for a towel, and to make it easier for him Zack plucked it off the rack and held it out to him. "Ah, thanks." Taking the towel, Cloud withdrew from the opening, but hesitated, holding the blue towel in both hands. "Zack... It was probably just a materia discharge. Okay?"

He nodded, knowing there was something else that Cloud thought it might have been, and figured it had something to do with the "hallucinations," the things that Cloud supposedly only thought he saw.

 _But hell, if there was anyone who had a reason to see ghosts, it would be him._ "Right, I'll be back outside, then."

"I'm almost done, and then you can shower if you want..." It was a distracted mumble, before Cloud retreated back behind the glass doors. Zack looked at his friend one more time and then stepped out into the corridor, noticing that the temperature had seemed to return to normal. He decided that he would definitely attempt to get at least one of Cloud's friends alone sometime to ask them some questions.

***

Later that night, Zack emerged from the shower feeling much warmer and refreshed than he would have expected, and wandered into the den to find Cloud curled up on the couch in old clothes that looked large on him. Cloud grinned when he saw Zack, closing the book he had been reading in the lamplight, and said, "I stayed up for you... thought about going to bed, but... thought I'd be nice and wait."

"You didn't have to stay up, you know," Zack said, pushing back a lock of still-dripping black hair. "You could have gone on to bed. I wouldn't mind taking the couch."

Cloud sat up as he came closer, looking somewhat surprised. "N-no, if you want to sleep separately, then I'll take the couch and you take the bed."

He raised his eyebrows. He hadn't expected to hear that at all. "Well, I just didn't think you'd want to... I mean, you have changed so much and..." Cloud shook his head quickly, and with an easy shrug Zack came around the couch and, ignoring Cloud's yelp, plucked the blond off the couch. "If you don't mind, though, I certainly don't."

Cloud blinked up at him, and Zack refrained from remarking as to how, though he had changed, Cloud was still one of the slightest people he had ever known. "It's okay, then?"

"If it's okay with you."

Cloud nodded, and wriggled once they reached the bedroom so that Zack finally set him down. As soon as Cloud's feet lightly touched the floor, he started to turn down the bed, and before long all the lights in the cabin were off and Zack found himself staring up at the sloped ceiling of the room, eyes tracing the rafters and the shadows. He could tell from the dim blue glow nearby that Cloud was still wide awake. Despite how he tried to remain awake until Cloud fell asleep, however, his weariness caught up with him and it wasn't until he woke up several hours later that he realized the warmth comfortably settled at his side was his young friend.

 _Heh. Maybe not so different, after all..._ It was all his tired brain could think as he shifted to make himself and Cloud more comfortable, and drifted off again.


	2. Chapter 2

Early the next day found Zack back in Junon, having left Cloud's chocobo in one of the Shinra's military stables, not too far away from where he needed to go. He did find it easily enough, as it was a large building, and stood in front of it for several moments, looking up at its high walls and the way it was built, much like the rest of Junon, into the cliffside. He scratched his chin absently, all the while thankful that, from what Cloud had told him, he had had at least a window.

He stepped inside to see a middle-aged woman dressed in a nurse's dress sitting at the reception desk, bespectacled eyes staring at the computer screen, pointedly ignoring him until he cleared his throat in front of her. She glanced up then, and did a doubletake, her stare lingering on him longer with something that he could have sworn was surprise.

"Excuse me," he said, "I just wanted to make sure I'm at the right place."

The nurse blinked, then rambled with practiced ease--running completely counter to her countenance: "The Junon/Midgar Mental Institution for the Mentally Ill and Clinically Insane."

"Good. I'm here looking for some information for a patient that was treated here some time ago."

"Of course, sir." She looked back to the screen, frowning as she quickly typed in a command. "The name of the patient, sir?"

"Cloud Strife. Maybe you've heard of him?"

The woman had stopped in her typing, looking up at him again in shock. "Sir, I can't... How did you know we treated him here? That information was kept classified!"

"Regardless, I need to see any information you can give me about him. Let's just say I have permission." He reached into one of his coat's pockets, taking out a clearance notification signed by one Vincent Valentine. Zack had studied the signature scrawled across the note carefully, when he had ridden out of sight from the cabin; Vincent certainly signed his name like a Turk, quick, precise, and edgy. Zack was thankful that Vincent had thought to give Cloud some extra notices, "just in case" as Cloud put it. He handed the notice over, and the nurse took it, staring at it as though still unable to believe it. Finally she looked up to him, and nodded.

"If you could just go right into that room, Mister...?" She trailed off, standing and one arm awkwardly pointing to a nearby, unmarked door.

"Zack Donovan." He nodded to her, before walking over to the door, and as she spoke into the intercom he doublechecked the door handles--there was definitely something about this place that made him more paranoid than military training could be blamed for--and then went inside. The room appeared to be a standard waiting room, fairly small but filled with the occasional plush chair, with more standard, less comfortable chairs scattered about and a coffee table occupied by old magazines. He wandered to the table and stared lazily at the various fashion magazine covers interspersed with the psychology reviews until he heard the door open; he looked up, turned, and saw another nurse, this one younger but with far more authority, standing there with a thick three-ringed binder in one hand.

"Donovan?" she said in a clipped voice. "I'm Nurse Langley. You requested information concerning Cloud Strife's time here, correct?"

"I doubt it's a request you get too often," Zack muttered, realizing instantly that he didn't like the looks of this one at all.

Langley nodded curtly. "Rules state that you are not allowed to leave this room, and given the nature of the case you are reviewing, no one else except for approved personnel can enter." She handed him the binder. "You can not copy, tear out, or attempt to sneak out any part of this report. This has just as much to do with the Shinra's request for confidentiality as with our own."

"Believe me, ma'am," he muttered, "I don't plan on running away with it." Not unless I have to.

"Good," she said with another curt nod. "When do you expect to be done with it?"

He checked the clock on the wall. "I need to be done in two hours."

"I'll be back then to take it from you." With what appeared to be typical brusqueness, Langley left him alone in the room. He sat down in the nearest chair that gave him an easy view of the clock, and glanced over the cover of the binder. The file's tab stuck out the top, marked "STRIFE, CLOUD: CONFIDENTIAL," while all along the cover there were several warning and confidential tabs and stamps. Zack wondered if confidential cases were so rare that the doctor or nurse that did the filing got overenthusiastic or if, really, Cloud's case had been considered so hush-hush. He had the feeling it was the latter rather than the former.

Taking a deep breath, he flipped it open, to find himself staring at a short bio of the patient.

[Name: Cloud Strife  
Age: 22 when admitted, 23 when discharged]

 _I know he said he must have been in there for a long time, but... it really stands out when there's obviously a year's difference. Shit._ He skimmed the rest of the general information, all of it being things he knew, until he reached the second page.

[ADMITTANCE:  
Strife was brought to the institution by Avalanche on October 31, and admitted immediately by Professor Jurian Gren. Avalanche's fears were that Strife suffered from delusional thoughts and hallucinations. Unable to provide help themselves, they decided to bring Strife to the institution for treatment. Strife was completely against it, and had to be brought under the influence of SOLDIER-standard tranquilizers. Due to the patient's strength and the complexity of Strife's mental condition, Gren decided he should be placed in a solitary cell. Visitation was limited once a week on Saturdays between the hours of 4:00pm-8:00pm. Only members of Avalanche are allowed to visit. Shinra has ordered that all information concerning Strife's treatments and confinement is to remain classified.]

 _Weird,_ Zack thought, brow creasing. _It's said nothing about what caused Cloud to be brought here in the first place, and I have the feeling it was something more major than just a hallucination--he avoided it like it was something important._

After the second page, the file seemed to be filled with behavioral observations and notes taken from "guidance sessions" and "treatments," and most of it was filled with psychological babble that Zack didn't understand, though from what he gathered, Cloud's condition was apparently worse off than he had believed, and worsened since his admittance into the institution. The notes continued to become more and more detailed as Cloud's condition became worse. Eventually, even certain members of Avalanche weren't allowed to visit Cloud because their presence seemed to have an "adverse effect" over him, as there came once or twice when he tried to attack those members, and Zack grew even more concerned that Cloud apparently seemed to forget that Tifa was alive, seemed to think that he had somehow killed her.

 _The hell?_ Keeping that as a mental note to ask Cloud's Avalanche friends, Zack plowed onward to the evaluation at the end of the third month of Cloud's treatments.

[PATIENT EVALUATION STR-031:  
The attending faculty has diagnosed the patient with the following:  
DELUSIONAL BEHAVIOR  
INFERIORITY COMPLEX  
MENTAL INSECURITY  
MILD OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR  
PARANOIA  
SCHIZOPHRENIA  
SEVERE DEPRESSION

It is believed that some of these may be due to a chemical imbalance in the patient's brain. Medicine has been prescribed to deal with some of the symptoms, while several more sessions and treatments have been planned to treat the others.

Members on the team involved in Strife's treatment believe that most of these disorders stem from the patient's intense obsession with SLDR-000.]

"SLDR-000?" Zack blinked, thought that the obvious interpretation of the letters and numbers were actually pretty simple, except... "Sephiroth? I mean, who else could it be? But what's up with the..." Voice trailing, he found himself remembering a sane--or mostly sane--Sephiroth telling him about the times Hojo had "handed him over to the goddamned psychiatrists" when he was young, since even Hojo had to admit that that layer of science was not his forte. _Since the Junon and Midgar branches had been combined after Meteor fell, I guess it makes sense that this hospital would refer to Seph by his own label... but still. That's disturbing._ Wondering, Zack flipped to see if he could find a similar designation for Cloud, and stopped at the back when he noticed a sheet listing all of the various Soldiers whom had been admitted into the hospital, some of whom he had known during the Wutai War. It started with Sephiroth, who was designated as SLDR-000, but skipped a number; the next Soldier, one named Ames Jennison, was marked as SLDR-002.

"Meaning there should be an 001..." Zack had the feeling he knew who it was, but went back to the section he had still been looking at and kept going. He found several references to various video files of sessions and observational periods, thought he might have to come back to view those as well, and tried to hurry through the general information to the last entry concerning Cloud's release. Much like Cloud had told him, he had slowly become a more normal, functioning person, and with the signed agreement to continue to take his medicine he had been discharged, apparently with a caveat from Professor Gren that there were definitely still problems that he would have to work out. Zack had the feeling that Gren knew that Cloud had been lying, quite possibly knew that Cloud had been lying thanks to the encouragement of Cloud's friends, and Zack wondered, if that were so, just why Gren was so willing to let him go.

"I hate doctors," he mumbled, looking up at the clock and seeing that he only had a few minutes left before Langley came in. He sighed, shut his eyes for a few moments. "But I have the feeling I'm going to have to talk to this one. Dammit."

***

He asked Langley as they exited the room if there was any chance he could arrange a meeting with the professor in the near future, and she shrugged and told him that he would need a more specific notification of clearance from the Shinra in order for Gren to tell him anything that he hadn't gleaned from the file. Zack nodded, thanked the nurse playing the receptionist and Langley for their time, and left quickly, knowing he had to be back at the cabin before the afternoon.

So he wandered about Junon, using some of the spare gil Cloud had given him to do some necessary shopping for himself and Cloud's food stores, and let his thoughts mull over in his head. By the time he had reached the cabin with the supplies in hand and Takeyo--Cloud's golden chocobo--trotting back to the stable on his own, his mood was darker than he meant it to be, and thus was completely surprised when he opened the door and Cloud leaned out from the kitchen, smiling at him.

"Zack!"

There was something about that smile, so glad for his return, that reminded him of back in the barracks, and then his apartment--and so he smiled back, and shoved the deeper thoughts out of the way before Cloud came out of the kitchen.

"I was wondering if you'd get back in time," he said, taking the groceries from him and wandering back into the kitchen.

"Did you really think I'd miss this, kiddo?"

"No, not really. Unless you're less sociable than you used to be..." He searched through the bags, taking out the various items and immediately putting them in their respective places. Zack watched idly from the entrance, leaning on the bar as Cloud moved about hurriedly. It really was just like back then.

"I just wish you had some more alcohol on hand," he grinned. "Then we could have a real party for your friends, huh?"

Cloud's smile when he glanced up again was more rueful, this time, and carried a different weight. "Maybe," he consented.

"So, what're they like? You told me their names, but not really who they were. I mean, I never met a firelion even though I heard of them, and Valentine was really just a legend among the Turks."

"Really?" Cloud paused in what he was doing, looking at Zack curiously. "Then how did you know of him?"

"I dunno if you ever had the chance, but Reno can be a real blabbermouth when he's drunk, if you know the right questions to ask."

"Heh. I can imagine. Well..."

"Start with the firelion. Umm. Nanaki, right?"

"Yeah." Cloud hesitated, then leaned back against the counter. "His family died many, many years ago protecting Cosmo Canyon from the Gi tribe. He's never told us exactly when it happened, but he was a cub then and he's nearly fifty years old now, so..." He shrugged. "Well, his 'grandfather,' the human man who wound up taking care of him, was Bugenhagen."

"No shit. The scientist?"

"Mystic. Scientist. I don't know, though... if Gast was at all like that, I can see why--" Cloud suddenly stopped, tensing, then sighed and relaxed against the counter again. "Anyway, Bugenhagen took care of him, and sealed off the path beneath Cosmo Canyon where his father held off the Gi. Nanaki grew up not knowing the truth, for whatever reason. Some time after that, he was captured by Hojo, and when I first met him, it was in the Shinra Building."

"How long did Hojo have him?"

Cloud shook his head. "He hasn't told us that, either, but I don't think it was for long. He was relatively unharmed, though he also has a tattoo."

"What's he like, though?"

"He's very thoughtful, and pretty rational. Considerate. Trustworthy. I was surprised to find out that among firelions he'd still be considered a teenager."

Zack picked up an apple from the counter, tossing it from hand to hand as he thought about it. "And Valentine?"

"You seem to know the story, so I won't give you that. But... Well, if you have Turks like Reno and Elena, then he would be more like Tseng."

He nodded, watching as Cloud turned to put a few more things away. "So pretty serious, huh?"

"Yeah. Quiet." Cloud put a teapot on the stove. "He and Nanaki were the ones that helped me. They were the only ones who could get away with it."

"How?"

His younger friend shrugged. "I dunno. But I never tried to hurt them like I did some of the others." He looked back over his shoulder. "Did you find what you wanted?"

"Yeah, some of it."

Cloud only nodded, and Zack washed his apple in relative silence.

***

Zack managed to talk Cloud into helping him with a little exercise, and between that and the showers that followed afterwards, the appointed time for the visit came swiftly upon them. Cloud had made himself another cup of tea when there came a knock at the door, and Zack trailed behind him as he went to answer it, wondering why the hell he had to feel so nervous.

 _Then again, these were the people who saved the world when you couldn't even save your friend._ Zack blinked, amended that, _Friends. Gods, Seph, why the hell couldn't you have--_

But his thoughts were cut short as the door opened and Cloud suddenly dropped down to catch and get knocked over by what had to be the largest cat that Zack had ever seen. Cloud was laughing, though, actually laughing, and before he could say or do anything he heard a soft chuckle and looked up to see a tall man with long black hair, pulled back, wearing one of the Turks' signature suits, only in black. The man stepped in, closing the door, but then immediately looked up and at Zack. His face was expressionless, the mirth fading instantly, and even Cloud's laughter died down as the firelion, tail lashing from side-to-side, was distracted from his playful wrestle with Cloud and looked up.

Cloud, still flat on his back on the floor, grinned. "Vincent, Nanaki, this is Zack Donovan."

Nanaki glanced down at Cloud and then back up at Zack, his uninjured eye quickly inspecting him before he padded off from on top of Cloud. Zack held out his hand for Nanaki to sniff at him, and smiled good-naturedly as he said, "Hey. Cloud's told me a lot about you."

Vincent stepped forward and held out his hand, nodded as Zack took it. "Yes," he said, and Zack inwardly grinned when he heard the voice--he could tell why Cloud would have found Vincent's presence a calming one, "he's told us about you as well."

"It's always good to know I've been bragged about," Zack said with a grin, and Cloud went to his side, shaking his head.

"Something like that. Now you all sit. I'll get the tea."

"Tea?" Vincent paused, then grinned. "Wutanese. Of course."

Zack stuck his hands in his pockets. "I get the feeling you always guess his tea when you visit?"

"Tradition," Nanaki said, smiling back with a pleased lash of the tail. "And plum!" he called back towards the kitchen. Cloud laughed, and Zack was glad to hear it. The others wandered to the seats, and Zack waited to see where the other two would sit. He didn't know why, but he was relieved to see Vincent take one of the armchairs, and the firelion sat between the armchair and within armslength of the couch. He had the feeling he knew the wherefore behind that, and grinned as he sat down on the other side of the couch, feeling as though he could not deprive Cloud of his opportunity to scratch his old friend behind the ears.

Cloud came in with the promised tea in three cups and a bowl for Nanaki, and he sat in the spot left him on the couch, one hand automatically reaching over to settle in Nanaki's mane. Zack had to hide a smile, and was unsurprised to find that the Avalanchers had guessed the type of tea correctly.

"Sorry I wasn't able to give you all any warnings," Cloud said, after they had all sat in a few quiet moments. "But, well, it's kinda hard to expect something like this..."

"It's all right," Vincent said, and Nanaki nodded.

"I have the feeling we would have... found it hard to believe," he said, and nudged Cloud's hand fondly so Cloud wouldn't take it negatively.

The youngest of them nodded, leaned back and cradled his tea thoughtfully. "Yeah... How're things...?"

"Peaceful," Vincent said, "though Reno's told me that there's been a troubling amount of chatter floating about the underworld as of late. Something about a new drug."

"New drug?"

"I've got the Turks keeping an eye out. What I find more troubling is the complete disappearance of those monsters we'd been tracking."

Cloud's brow furrowed, but he didn't look up at Vincent. "Disappeared? Vincent, they couldn't just... I know they were there."

"I sent out a recon squad. There were definitely signs of monsters, but so far the search has turned up empty. We can't be certain what it means, but..."

Zack blinked. "Umm. What is this?"

"Cloud picked up on some questionable monster activity in the foothills of the Midgar Mountains," Nanaki said. "About a day after he warned us about it, the foremost outpost on this side of the mountains was attacked. Cloud led a band of Soldiers out there... so there were survivors, but the monsters themselves ran away the moment Cloud arrived."

Zack didn't bother to state the obvious. "Right. I take it you knew they were nearby again, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded, put his tea down. "Strange. Anything else?"

Nanaki's voice was casual, as he lay down on the floor, stretching his forepaws. "Tifa's coming soon. Cid's already arrived."

"Tifa. Yeah." He shook himself, then asked, "Was there a materia discharge recorded last night?"

Vincent cocked his head to one side. "None that registered on Doctor Melantha's instruments."

"Doesn't mean that one couldn't have happened, though, right?" Zack asked quickly, and Vincent caught his gaze.

"Of course," the other dark-haired man said, immediately shifting his eyes back to Cloud. "After all, there's no way we could have gathered all of the materia."

"Mako levels are still so strange," Nanaki said. "It's possible that there's been more materia produced in nature, and there's no way to keep an eye on all of that..." The firelion cleared his throat, raised his head to look at Cloud with his one good eye. "When were you thinking of going back to work?"

"I was thinking tomorrow," Cloud mumbled, preoccupied. "Why...?"

"They're not much, but I brought a few books from grandfather's library, of the sort you've been asking for. I left them behind at the building."

"That's all right." He finally seemed to pull himself out of whatever it was he had been thinking of, and smiled. "So, what about everything else?"

***

The conversation after that point became much more light-hearted and definitely more inclusive. Zack could tell that Vincent and Nanaki were trying to figure out just as much about him as he was about them, and Cloud picked up on it as he watched it all with a bemused smile, only chipping in a word or two, and often to Zack's embarrassment.

"You didn't tell them about the time you, James, and Tom came back from the 'movies' drunk, Za-kun--"

"That was an individual incident, Cloud, and not entirely representative of my time as squadron leader."

Still, at some point the day began to wear into evening, and Vincent noted that he and Nanaki would have to return before dark. Zack wanted to ask Cloud if he could accompany them down the way, but Vincent beat him to it. Cloud waved them on ahead, giving Nanaki a farewell mane-scratch before turning to Vincent and starting to make some movement toward the other man but stopping, and settling for a small smile and a goodbye salute.

"I'll be seeing you both soon," he said, and looked to Zack with a brighter smile. "You come back soon, don't get sidetracked by any beautiful women--"

"Aww, Cloud-kun, you know if I do I'll bring back one for you," Zack said with a laugh, and in a few more moments he was riding down the cliff on Takeyo while Vincent rode a black chocobo--he caught him calling it Thunder--and Nanaki trotted along beside them, indignant when they offered letting him take one of the chocobo.

"It's undignified," he muttered, and even Vincent smiled.

They went halfway down the path in companionable silence before Zack slowed Takeyo. Vincent immediately adjusted Thunder's speed and Nanaki slowed down, looking up at Zack expectantly.

"Right, I've gathered that things haven't been so good for Cloud ever since Meteor fell," Zack said quickly, "and I went to the mental institution this morning with one of your slips, Vincent, to go over Cloud's file."

"I imagined that you must have known something from your comment about the materia discharge," Vincent muttered, then nodded. "Yes. What is it that you want to know?"

"First of all, what was it that caused all of you to put him in that place?" Zack asked, slowing Takeyo down to a complete halt. Nanaki padded before their chocobo and sat down, frowning for a long moment.

"It was a difficult decision," Nanaki said slowly. "It was decided by all of us, together, and at the time we all thought it was for the best. We hadn't suspected it to be as bad as it was."

"But what is it?" Zack said. "I've gathered it has something to do with Sephiroth, but..."

"During the mission," Vincent said, catching Zack's gaze with his own, "it was obvious that Sephiroth held some power over Cloud, and even when Cloud himself thought he was free of Sephiroth's influence... when he had finally come to grips with the truth that he had never been in SOLDIER, that he had in fact fabricated much of himself, his memories, his personalities, all from you... he was still obsessed with Sephiroth. However, after Cloud seemed to defeat the remainder of Sephiroth in his mind... within the Lifestream... wherever it was that the two dueled at last--we've asked Cloud and even his caretakers tried to figure it out, but no one can be for certain where or how they carried out their final battle--we thought he would be free of his obsession, of his feelings of guilt, of obligation. That was not the case."

"Cloud started having problems not long after Meteor fell," Nanaki said. "Vincent witnessed the first incidence of it, though he didn't realize it at the time. And again, not long after that, Tifa overheard Cloud in his sleep, and again and again... Just small things. We thought they were nightmares."

"He became more paranoid than usual, not long after he was set up as the new Commander of SOLDIER by the new Shinra organization." Vincent shook his head. "It was a mistake. Cloud started slipping into routines, habits, that the other members of the Shinra began to find familiar. It was actually Rufus who broke the silence, and told us that ever since Cloud came back from one mission to Wutai... he had certainly not been Cloud so much as he had been the one other Commander of SOLDIER."

Zack dropped his gaze to the rocks of the path. "So...?"

"At first, we thought giving him time away from the job would help," Nanaki said. "And there was a carnival here in Junon. Tifa went with Cloud, and apparently it started out perfectly fine."

"The few things we know we gathered from what Tifa remembered and what the evidence could tell us," Vincent said. "They went into a mirrorhouse. The electricity shorted, and they were in darkness. Cloud should have been fine; he's been able to see in the pitch-dark caverns before. Tifa said that he seemed to be seeing something in the mirrors, and it scared him... and she can't remember what happened next so well, only that he attacked her... nearly killed her."

"Gods..."

"Stranger still," the other man continued, "is that afterward, Cloud was convinced that he had killed her. He went into intensive therapy to grapple with that fact alone, and every time Tifa tried to visit him, he nearly attacked her again, thinking she was an illusion, an object that Sephiroth was making him see. And he began to try to attack some of the others, until Gren introduced Cloud to a new kind of therapy."

Zack nodded. "And finally you all decided that enough was enough?"

"Yes," Nanaki said.

"The only problem now is making certain that we won't have to send him back," Vincent said.

"We realized he wasn't taking his medicine some time ago," Nanaki said tiredly, getting up so they could continue on their way again. "As much as we dislike it and we understand his feelings... it did seem to be doing him some good. If nothing else, it calmed him down."

Zack nodded. "And Gren... I want to talk to him about it, too. The file spoke a lot about Cloud's treatments, but never said what those treatments were."

"He was very tight-lipped about it," Nanaki said. "We're not even entirely certain."

"If you wish to speak to him, I can give you the clearance."

Another nod from Zack, and they fell into silence again until they finally reached the bottom of the path. There, Vincent turned his chocobo to Zack, and fixing the younger man with his red stare, said, "We have a favor to ask of you."

"Huh? What's that?"

"There have been too many strange events occurring lately, your arrival being one of them," Vincent said. "Cloud gets suspicious if any of us stay with him for too long. He knows that we're trying to do our best to watch him, and that makes him afraid. However... You are closer to him than anyone else. If you could stay with him, just... keep an eye out."

"I understand. And I'll do that."

"You can contact us by PHS," Nanaki said, and grinned. "Unlike Cloud, our numbers aren't classified."

"You have our thanks," the other man said, and spurred his chocobo on to the city stables. Nanaki bowed his head to Zack before turning and bounding after Vincent, and Zack sat back in his saddle as he watched them leave.

***

He reached the top of the path again to find Cloud sitting up on one of the rocky outcroppings nearby, staring up at the coming night sky. Zack took Takeyo back to the stable, gave him more greens while he unsaddled him and scratched him on the crest in thanks for putting up with him so much that day. Takeyo chirped happily and nudged him with his blunt beak, and then went back to chomping away at his greens. Zack went back outside, wandered over to the rocks where Cloud was lounging.

Cloud's half-lidded eyes did not move as Zack came closer, though he did shift on the rocks, leaning his knees together where before they had been apart.

"Hey."

A small smile turned up Cloud's lips. "Hey."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'd hoped that you'd all get along."

"I was kinda worried that, you know, Vincent might attempt to suck my blood for a few seconds there--" He ducked Cloud's fist and bounded back up with a grin, saw Cloud was smiling too, though his gaze hadn't strayed from the sky for an instant. "So, decided on going back tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't be away for too long, anyway. Paperwork builds up."

"That's no fun."

"Better than anything else I'd be needed to do," Cloud said, and Zack nodded.

"So, whatcha looking at?"

Cloud shrugged. "The sky, maybe?"

"Figured that much. Didn't know if you were looking at something in the sky in particular, though."

"No. Nothing there yet. No stars." Cloud turned his head, looked at Zack, blond bangs falling into his face. "I left out some soup on the stove for your dinner. Already ate."

"Is that a hint?"

"Just need some time alone out here. I'll be back in in a bit."

"Sure." Zack wandered back to the cabin, and only glanced back to the outcropping when he reached the porch, noticed Cloud had turned his head to look at the sea instead. He wondered, but knew better than to press things further.

Later that night, as Cloud slid into bed beside him, and he shifted so Cloud could settle comfortably beside him, he thought about asking Cloud something... but decided not to. He didn't know enough about the way Cloud acted around his new friends, and he didn't want to upset Cloud if he could avoid it.

***

The next morning found the two old friends going down the cliffs together, Cloud on foot beside Takeyo, who carried Zack and some of their things without a problem. That morning, while he had been drinking some heavily doctored tea--Cloud didn't have any coffee--on the couch in the den, he had heard the soft clunk of boots on the floor and had twisted around to find Cloud adjusting the bangle on his wrist.

Zack glanced down at his friend, glad that the uniform wasn't actually black, just a dark enough blue--mimicking the First Class blue--that it looked black depending on the quality of light. It fit him much better than Zack's old uniform could have ever fit, though the pants were a little less snug than the top... which Zack was fine with, except it meant the rear view wasn't quite as intriguing as he had initially hoped it would be. Still, Zack wondered how they managed to talk Cloud into letting someone design his uniform specifically for him; it worked too well to have been a throwback to one of the earlier designs for specialist SOLDIER uniforms.

Cloud turned and looked back at him, grinning. "Any reason in particular you're staring at me so much, Za-kun?"

"I dunno. Maybe 'cause you're cute?"

His old friend snickered, shook his head and looked to the path again. "You've not changed at all, Zack."

He spoke in that ambiguous tone that Zack wasn't certain how to interpret, so he told himself not to worry about it. Before long they had reached the outer streets of Junon, and Cloud slung most of their things against his back, arguing that Zack was still recovering and refusing to let Zack take more than the lighter things. Cloud immediately started down one of the smaller backroads and Zack followed, and when he asked Cloud how they were going to get to the new Shinra headquarters within an hour Cloud just grinned back at him and told him they'd take the train.

"This isn't the commute you make every day, right?" Zack asked jokingly, and Cloud shook his head.

"No, though my apartment is close to the outskirts. Not quite so far away from the station, though."

"When the hell did they put trains in Junon?"

"I guess they thought it was a way to bring Midgar with them. The Shinra weren't the only ones who moved here, after all."

"So they really should just slap a new name on this place like Neo-Midgar, huh?"

"No. It's bad enough that there's an upper and lower Junon. That, and no one really likes to talk about old Midgar anymore."

"Huh?"

Cloud shrugged, and they entered a much busier street.

"Oi, Strife," came a voice from behind them, and they turned to see two Turks standing side-by-side, as always. Reno, who had spoken, suddenly snapped his mouth shut as his eyes went from Cloud to Zack. "Holy shit. Holy motherfuckin' shit. Donovan?"

Cloud chuckled, and looked up at Zack. "I didn't know you knew Reno."

Zack blinked. "Reno? You're still kickin'? Surprised you aren't drunk in a ditch or worse, what with all the shit Cloud told me about." Zack looked down at Cloud. "You never told me the Turk you wound up fighting all the time was Reno!"

Reno came closer, squinting his eyes. "Aw, hell, it's gotta be you. No one else has such weird-ass hair." Pausing, Reno looked down at Cloud, who merely returned his stare with an arched eyebrow. The considering look broke into a wide grin. "Heh heh. Shoulda known."

"Should've known what?" Cloud said, crossing his arms.

Reno shrugged, lop-sided smile still in place as Rude came closer. "Nothin'. I was just supposed to let you know that Rufus wanted to speak to you sometime about some new security ideas he had cooked up. Looked pretty good to me, but you know, I ain't you or Valentine so my opinion just doesn't cut it." The red-headed Turk poked a finger at Zack. "Now how the hell are you still alive? And since you are alive, why haven't you gotten in touch with me so we could go get drunk in a ditch? Bastard, you still owe me gil from the last drinking game!"

Zack sighed. "You're the only person, Turk, who would remember that kind of thing."

"I'm going to be late," Cloud interjected. "Let's go."

"Hey can we ride your--"

"Yes, stupid Turk." Cloud glanced toward Rude as he started walking back to the stairs leading to the underground trains, and amended, "No offense to you, of course."

Rude nodded, absently knocked Reno on the back of the head as he passed him, and ignored Reno's curse as they all followed Cloud to the stairs. Zack couldn't help but notice how the crowds passed around Cloud, giving him a wide area of space to himself, closing up around them so that they had to press themselves closer to Cloud's space to not get caught up in the crowd. Zack was used to it, but was disturbed by it as well. The last time he had seen any large amount of people provide that much space to someone was...

 _They've really gone and tried to make another Sephiroth out of you, haven't they?_ The thought thinned his grin into a line, and he sighed as he thought about it. Reno shot him a questioning look but Zack ignored him, and before long they reached the underground train station. Zack finally saw what Reno had asked Cloud about when the train pulled up, exactly on time at oh-eight-hundred, as Cloud swiped his keycard through a reader on the very last car, which opened up for him. Zack ducked in quickly while the Turks entered more leisurely, and as the door slid shut Cloud settled down in one of the seats and sighed, closing his eyes.

"It's not even started and I'm tired already," he muttered.

"Keep telling ya, Strife," Reno said, grabbing one of the handrails as the cars connected, then letting go after the train was comfortably in motion, "you oughta relax more often. Go to one of those Wutanese spas or whatever. Heard they work wonders."

Cloud looked up at Reno with half-lidded eyes and that small grin that Zack was beginning to find strangely familiar. "When am I supposed to find the time for that, Turk?"

Reno nudged Zack with his elbow. "Hey, Zack, do us all a favor and snog him, will ya?"

Zack looked to Cloud. "Can I hit him?"

Cloud pointed to Rude. "Nope. Still his department."

Rude grunted. "I'd do it anyway."

"You all suck, you know that?"

Before Zack could do anything but grin, the train suddenly put on its brakes. The Turks grabbed the handrails and Zack flung out an arm, catching himself on one of the poles, as the train skid to a stop. Reno was cursing violently, but immediately shut up when the lights flickered and went out.

"Another materia discharge?" Zack asked through grit teeth, pulling himself up and watching as the Turks righted themselves as well, and then looked to Cloud, who was sitting as if the train had not just come to a sudden stop, and was instead looking towards the doors, gaze distant. "Cloud?" Zack said.

"I'll be right back," Cloud whispered, drawing his Ultima Weapon from the harness on his back. He looked back to them, and nodded. "Give Zack a handgun. If any of them make it past me, protect the train."

"Shit, Strife--!" Reno ran to the door as Cloud effortlessly pulled it open, slinging it back so far that the car shook. "How many of them are there?"

"Should we call HQ?" Rude asked, and Cloud shook his head.

"Only twenty, and only one of them to worry about. A dragon, I think. I'll deal with it. Guard the train." Before stepping out into the darkness, Cloud flashed a small smile back at them, the sort that hurt. "After all, it's not as if they could kill me."


	3. Chapter 3

"After all, it's not as if they could kill me." And then Cloud was gone, and Zack stood there wondering why Cloud had to smile like that, why Cloud had to sound so sad, before Rude was handing him a handgun and Reno, leaning out the doorway, called out down the tunnel after the new Commander of SOLDIER.

"Dammit, Strife, if you come back here all bloodied up I'll make sure the money to clean up the mess comes out of your own goddamned salary, you--!"

The train shook again and Reno stumbled back from the door, cursing and drawing out his nightstick as a hunched figure robed in black crawled in, crouching on all-fours. Zack stared at it, for some reason feeling as though every cell in his body went cold, and the robed figure turned its hood straight at him, bright green eyes flashing. Then a shot from beside him came from Rude, and the figure leapt to the side before diving at Reno, fingernails extending into claws. Zack managed to regain control of his body to aim and start firing, nailing it in the shoulder. The robed figure shrieked, fell to the floor, and this gave Reno enough time to move in with a fully charged nightstick. Ignoring the resulting thrashing and shrieking as Reno released the charge, Zack and Rude both went to the open door of the train. Zack jumped down, only to duck as a reptilian creature's corpse went flying overhead.

"Shit, I can't see a single goddamn thing--" Reno started, joining them at the door, just as a roar caused the tunnel to shake, and the other side of the tunnel lit up as a torch of flame shot out across the tracks. Zack had to squint his eyes, but he could make out Cloud running to the dragon's side.

"Looks like he's taken out the rest of the smaller ones already," Reno muttered.

"I'm going to the front of the train," Rude said suddenly, getting down beside Zack. "Gonna check with the conductor and see if I can't help get the train online."

"Be careful and you better call if anymore of those weird black-robed things show up again," Reno called after him, then leaned out as the dragon crashed into the tunnel wall, flames erupting from its mouth as Cloud slammed his Ultima Weapon through the monster's chest, all the way into the hilt. The dragon jerked one more time before lying completely still, and Zack had to blink as the tunnel went into complete darkness again, before he could make out Cloud coming back their way.

"Oi, you all right there, Cloud?" Zack said, watching as the bright glow of Cloud's eyes came closer.

"I got a scratch or two, but otherwise I'm fine. Where's Rude?"

"Went to the front of the train," Reno said, stepping back from the entrance of the car. "Hey, Strife, you might want to take a look at this. We got attacked just seconds after you left."

They climbed back inside, but Reno and Zack both stopped when they saw the charred floor of the car, where the black-robed body had been.

"Reno, you didn't..." Zack started, and the Turk shook his head.

"Hell no. I shocked the thing, and it might've gotten a little steamy, but I think we all would have noticed if it, you know, erupted into flames or some shit like that."

Cloud moved closer to the black spot on the floor, touching it with his gloved hand before looking up at Zack. Their eyes met briefly before Cloud turned his gaze back down.

"Cloud...?"

"A clone," was all Cloud said. The lights flickered back to life, and the conductor's voice came on, thanking the passengers for remaining calm and announcing that they'd be on their way to the Shinra Building's underground station shortly. Rude came into the car, holding his PHS unit to his ear, and speaking under his breath.

"Yes, sir. I understand. Wait a minute." The tall man stared down at the spot on the floor, looked to Reno who shrugged. "It's gone. Yes, sir. No. He's here." He held his unit to Cloud. "The copresident wishes to speak with you."

Cloud absently held out his hand for the phone, took it and grunted an affirmative. Zack uneasily went to the car's door and closed it, listening carefully for Cloud's words, sparse as they were.

"Yes, I'm certain." Cloud slowly stood, still listening intently. "No. I can't." Without any warning, he tossed the PHS back to Rude, who put it back to his ear.

"No, sir, this is Rude. Understood." The Turk snapped the unit closed and looked at Cloud with a small smirk. "He wants me to warn you that you might get slapped on the wrist for that sort of behavior."

Cloud stared at his hand, ignored the motion as the train started on its way again while everyone else in the car had to grab onto something until they were moving smoothly again. "Zack?"

"Yeah?"

Worried blue eyes met his own, this time locking. "Was it...?"

"It was weird, kiddo. That's all I can tell you right now." He really wanted nothing more than to ask Cloud what the hell had just happened, and how that thing could have had Sephiroth's eyes, but he had the feeling that he didn't want to ask that with Reno and Rude standing nearby. He thought Cloud must have sensed some of his feelings, because his young friend just nodded, and they sat the rest of the short ride in silence.

***

The Turks left them the moment they reached the Shinra Building, and Zack and Cloud had barely emerged from the car before a Soldier leading a squad of troopers met them. Cloud conversed quickly with the Soldier, and before long the squad was heading down the tunnel.

"They're locking down the train system?" Zack asked, and Cloud nodded.

"The trains ought to be locked down at all the other stations already, so the squad's just out to scout around and see if there are any other monsters out and about." Shaking himself, Cloud clasped a hand over his arm where he had been "scratched" and seemed to double-check it.

Zack leaned down closer. "I can't believe I forgot about that. Were all the restore materia put into vaults, too?"

"No, and I... I already cured it." Cloud massaged his arm with his free hand, leading the way up a flight of stairs to the ground floor lobby of the building. "It's just still healing... I didn't use a powerful spell, didn't want to... didn't need to. I've gotten worse before." He stopped in front of the information desk, where Zack saw a familiar young woman once again hard at work playing solitaire on the computer. She jumped the moment Cloud cleared his throat, and immediately hopped to her feet.

"Strife, sir!"

"It's okay, Amy," Cloud said. "I just need you to get a security pass ready for my friend. He is to receive full privileges befitting a top-level ambassador, and the security advantages of a Turk. Is that understood?"

Amy sat down in her seat heavily, and even Zack had to keep his surprise in check. "But Mr. Strife, sir," Amy stammered, "are you sure that's allowed? Without the copresidents' and Valentine's permission--"

Cloud just stared at her, and within seconds Amy leaped to the task. She fished out a form and a pen from within her piles of paperwork and drawers, and handed them to Zack. Zack filled out the form and stopped for only a second to grin at the computer's camera before handing it back to her. She filled out the information and within seconds had the card ready. Smiling, she handed it to Zack, then looked back at Cloud.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Strife?" Amy asked. Cloud shook his head, and walked off. Zack gave Amy one last wink before following his friend, and wondering where they were headed now.

His young friend led him to the elevators, and the moment they were inside, Cloud crossed his arms and leaned back against one of the walls.

"First, we'll be visiting Rufus's office so that way I can get the new security measures cleared up," he said. "Then, we'll go to my office. While I'm doing my paperwork, you can wander around the place and get familiar with it. The security pass ought to let you go anywhere in the building, and if anyone stops to question you, show it to them."

"Think it's likely I'd run into any of the others?"

"Don't know..." Cloud frowned. "Vincent and Nanaki might have told the others..."

The elevator came to a stop, and chimed as the door slid open. Cloud stepped out and Zack followed, hands in his pockets and looking about the darkened hallways of this floor of the building. He glanced back over his shoulder; a sign above the elevators announced that this was Block A.

They walked along a few more corridors before finally stopping outside a door guarded by two men in First Class Soldier uniforms, both standing perfectly at attention. Cloud nodded to the men before knocking on the door, and Zack could feel the Soldiers' gazes on him even behind the thick visors of their helmets. Before he could ask Cloud to talk to one of them, however, the door opened and Rude motioned them to come in.

The office was lit by a long line of windows along one wall, the blinds slanted open to let in much of the early sun and provide some of the view of the ocean. It was not nearly as richly decorated as Zack expected, but in a way it made perfect sense. Rufus had always had a flair for the dramatic, and against the light from the windows and the sparsity of other objects, Rufus's large desk with its computer terminals stood out as the centerpiece.

The copresident himself looked up as they entered, chin perched on the back of one hand, apparently reading over something on one of the computer monitors. Zack was surprised to find that Rufus hadn't changed much since he was vice president of the company, only that he did not look quite so young. Everything else was the same, though, especially the eyes. They had always been too old.

"You seem to be collecting an alarming amount of ghosts these days, Strife," Rufus said, standing, bored eyes flicking quickly up and down Zack's person before going to Cloud's eyes as the smaller man approached the desk.

Cloud shrugged. From behind him, Zack couldn't make out his facial expression. "Perhaps. What's this about a new security measure?"

"Valentine already approved it, as has Reeve," Rufus said, immediately holding out a file. "The only signature missing is yours."

"I take it they neglected to give you the memo that I'd be gone for a few days," Cloud muttered, opening the file.

Zack looked at Rude, who was standing beside him. "They always like this?" he asked, and Rude shrugged.

"Perhaps," Rufus shot back, ignoring Zack's whisper. When Cloud raised a hand, he handed him a pen, and then looked back at Zack. "Will you be rejoining the forces, then, Donovan?"

"Dunno yet, sir," Zack said with a lop-sided grin. "Not entirely back up to speed yet, so I dunno how useful I'd be."

"I could find plenty of uses for you, though I'm certain your old friend here would try to keep you from them." Rufus grinned, but not at Zack; his eyes had moved back to Cloud's face, was reacting to an expression there. "You know I would never take him away from you, Strife."

Cloud straightened from signing his name, but his voice was calm. "I'll make sure that you're properly informed when I next take my leave."

"Yes. It was disconcerting when you vanished from sight for a year and none of your 'friends' thought to tell me." Rufus glanced up at the Turk, who started for the door, but his gaze returned immediately to Cloud. "We need to have another private meeting at some point in the near future, Strife."

"I'm probably booked since I've been gone," Cloud muttered. "But you know my hours better than anyone else."

"True. I'll have one of the Turks tell you when a time has been managed."

Cloud nodded, finally turned and headed for the door. Rude unlocked and opened it for them, and Zack breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he and Cloud turned the corner. Cloud stopped, looked at Zack with a slight upturn of his lips. "What is it?"

"Is it always that tense in there?" Zack said, jerking his thumb back over his shoulder. "I mean, Rufus has always been a little crazy, so things about him have always been weird, but the tension in there was so thick I don't know if I could've forced my Buster Sword through it."

Cloud laughed. "Yes, he's still crazy, but at least he's contented himself with his position. He's not going to try to assassinate Reeve, at least not anytime soon, and besides, he knows we've got our eyes on him."

"Does he always keep the light strange in there, though?" Zack asked, as they went back to the elevators.

"Yeah. You can't see his scars so well."

"I was wondering why he seemed so whole and healthy. From what you told me, I expected to see more burn scarring."

"Those are on his arms, for the most part."

"And private meetings?"

Cloud made a soft sound as the elevator door closed. "It's nothing. Mostly ceremonial. I hear about the same things in the reports I get."

"Didn't sound like that was all it was."

His young friend blinked up at him. "It's nothing, Zack. Promise."

"If you say so."

Zack was much happier to find that Cloud's office was located on a much brighter floor, and while it was not so large as Rufus's, it too was situated so that one wall was nothing but windows. The office resembled Cloud's bedroom from the house, somber shades of grey, and darker furniture, which seemed to Zack to confirm what he had originally thought; the bedroom was the only part of the entire cabin that Cloud had decorated to his own whimsy. He half-expected to hear that Tifa had arranged for the rest of it. And there were bookshelves, a display on the wall where Cloud put the Ultima Weapon, and on the other side of the room another set of shelves. Zack wandered to the shelves, looking at the various framed pictures and random items, the most notable being a collection of knicknacks that had a distinct style. He picked up a wooden carving of a wolf, one etched all over with runes that probably served the purpose of a spell as well as decoration, then glanced over to his friend. Cloud was oblivious to him; he was going through a small pile of books that had been left on his desk with a note from Nanaki, flipping through each leather-bound volume before setting it aside.

Zack put the Nibel wolf back alongside the other remnants of Nibelheim, and looked up as Cloud carried the books to the appropriate shelves across the room, quickly scanning the spines and then sliding them into place. He grinned, and Cloud looked up at him just as he was shelving the last book.

"What's so funny?"

"You. You're still so organized."

Cloud's amusement was of the quiet sort again, the small smile. "I have to be these days."

"Yeah, I know. So, you expect me to just... wander around?"

Nodding, Cloud went back to his desk and sat down, looking pointedly at a stack of paper sitting to one side. "Yeah. You can wander back anytime you want. I just didn't want you to get bored while I'm going through all this."

"You know I'd find ways to amuse myself."

Chuckling, Cloud pulled the first file off the stack. "No doubt about that. But I need you to amuse yourself without distracting me."

"What precisely did you have in mind--"

"Zack...!"

"Aww, you're blushing. Heh, okay, okay, I'm going." He still paused at the door, though, looking back at his friend. "You sure you'll be good, kiddo?"

"Yeah. Besides, if I need you, I can just call you over the intercom or have Vincent find you."

"You do that. See ya!"

The door slid closed, and Cloud stared after his friend, at the closed door, listening as the locks clicked into place. He looked down at the words on the paper in front of him, glanced back up at the door, and sighed.

"Right..."

***

Zack found himself enjoying the stroll about the building more than he thought he would. It was obvious that people's opinions of Shinra had changed, that everyone seemed more positive, right down to the small troopers dashing about to deliver reports. He received a few odd looks but not even the troopers standing guard thought to question him.

"I take it if you're here, then Cloud has returned as well?" The voice came from behind, and Zack turned to see Vincent walking up the corridor.

"Yeah, he's in his office right now. Sent me away to wander while he started on his paperwork." Zack made a face. "I tell you one thing. If I had that much paperwork, I'd make sure I had plenty of other things to do so I wouldn't have to deal with it."

"There is a flaw in the current system," Vincent said. "Cloud has no second-in-command, or anyone of comparable rank that he could delegate the paperwork to. Rufus is the closest, but..."

"But part of the reason Cloud has to go through all of that in the first place is to check Rufus's power, right?" Zack asked, and the other man nodded. "Thought so. Are you all really sure that Rufus is okay with that? It doesn't sound like he'd enjoy having someone else play his counterweight."

"Well, along with Cloud, there's the other copresident and myself he'd have to deal with, as well as the rest of the main council... Cloud's not his only counterweight. That, and I think he appreciates having Cloud around as... an opponent."

"Something like that, anyway," Zack muttered. "Though I guess having Rufus in sight is better than the alternative."

"Indeed. And though the Turks are fiercely loyal to him... what they do has to go through me, first. We manage some measure of control."

"That's good to know." Zack hesitated, and as he opened his mouth, Vincent nodded.

"Yes. I thought you should be introduced to Reeve. There is someone else here that I think you should meet, as well." Vincent started walking away, adding, "And it would probably be best to meet her without Cloud in the room."

"Tifa?"

Vincent nodded again, and Zack followed, knowing that he shouldn't feel nervous, but... Tifa. He had seen the pictures, he had heard Cloud himself speak of her, and Vincent and Nanaki... but he couldn't help feeling apprehensive about the meeting.

It wasn't long before they reached a set of doubledoors, guarded by more Soldiers. One of them opened one of the doors for them as they approached, and Vincent walked in without any announcements. Zack moved quickly after, heard greetings being called out to Vincent before the door closed and suddenly the room became silent. Zack didn't have the time to take in the office as he had the others; his gaze went immediately to the two people standing at the large desk in the middle of the room. He recognized them both immediately. Reeve had more grey hair than he remembered, but looked just the same as Zack remembered, neat, trim.

Despite seeing all of the photographs, however, Zack realized he hadn't thought about Tifa having matured so much until he saw her. She stood beside Reeve's desk, dressed in casual clothing: boots, jeans, dark red shirt. It made her stand out when compared to Reeve's and Vincent's suits. Her hair was shorter than he had expected, as well, cut below the shoulders. He thought it made her look older, drew more attention to her face... and despite the maturity elsewhere, he couldn't help but think that her eyes were the same. A little wiser, perhaps, but the same.

Vincent gestured Zack forward. "Reeve, Tifa, this is Cloud's visitor."

Tifa didn't even blink; her eyes were taking him in, before settling on his face. Reeve coughed, apparently just as surprised, and Zack started to feel even more uncomfortable before finally just walking forward and holding out his hand.

"Reeve, sir, it's good to see you've finally been put where your good sense can be put to use," he said, grinning. Reeve blinked, then smiled and took his hand.

"It is you, Donovan."

He laughed. "What, were you thinking it was an imposter? How many people you know can have hair this good, huh?" Then he looked to Tifa, and held out his hand. "Miss Lockheart. I was glad to hear from Cloud that you had made it out of Nibelheim, after everything that happened." His smile faded, sincerity taking over. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to do anything then."

She took his hand, shook her head. "I don't know if there was anything anyone could have done," she said. "And Cloud... Cloud showed me. You tried. I think that was all anyone could do. But... how...?"

"We don't know," Vincent said, stepping closer. "Zack questioned the hospital where he was nursed back to health--" Zack gave Vincent a look, and the other man shrugged. "I thought I would check it out. However, I learned nothing new. Only that your benefactor thought it best to keep everything about you, and his involvement, quiet. I tried to find the records myself, but they weren't there."

"Shit." Zack puts his hands in his pockets, staring down at the floor. "I hate feeling like a goddamned pawn... and this all has 'conspiracy' written all over it, in huge neon letters."

"Zack. Can I talk with you?" Tifa looked to Reeve and Vincent. "That would be okay, wouldn't it? We were done, right?"

"It will be fine," Reeve said with a nod. "Thanks again for agreeing to help us out, Tifa."

"You know I wouldn't say no," she said, and plucked her own jacket off the edge of Reeve's desk. Pulling it on, she looked to the ex-Soldier. "Shall we take a walk? There's a courtyard up on the roof of the building."

Zack nodded, and they walked side-by-side to the elevators in silence. They got to the roof, passed by another couple of guards stationed beside the courtyard's doors, and stepped out into the grey light of an overclouded day. The courtyard was refreshingly green, though, and Zack breathed in the fresh air, picked up the scent of the ocean, found himself smiling. He watched as Tifa walked to one of the nearby trees, leaning against the trunk, hands in her pockets.

"This all right?"

"It's wonderful. When did this happen?"

"Same time that the rest of the remodeling did. Cloud insisted on it; he was the first one to mention it, which I think surprised everyone." She nodded her head back to the doors. "See?"

Zack turned and looked, saw a mythril plaque over the door that stated that the courtyard was paid for by "Cloud Strife's generous donations." He looked back at Tifa. "He has changed."

"Hasn't he?" She reached out with a hand, absently plucking a dying leaf from the tree. "From a little boy whose voice was never heard... to a young man that the rest of the world looks up to." She curled the leaf around her finger, staring at the dark red against her skin, frowning. "You've seen it, haven't you? You were... in SOLDIER, you even knew Sephiroth. So you've seen it?"

"Yeah. It scares me, though I haven't mentioned it to Cloud. That and what Vincent and Nanaki told me the other day, and what I found out at the mental institution..." Zack looked up at the sky. "I know it hasn't been easy for you, either. Do you have any idea why..."

"I don't know. Only that something wants me to stay away from him. That something's powerful enough to react violently to me. I haven't seen Cloud in so long, Zack..." She stood beside him, now, let go of the leaf and watched it fall to the grass. "It's strange. It used to be, he was the one who always watched me from afar. Now it's the other way around, though... though I think he actually knows. Notices. He acts differently if I'm nearby."

"Are you the only one...?"

"I'm the only one that he's thought he's killed," Tifa muttered. "But I'm not the only one he attacks. Reeve actually can't get close to him, but Cait Sith can. Barret and Cid... it depends. Ever since... the accident in the mirrorhouse, Barret frightens him. I think it has to do with... well... Barret got very angry when he found out that Cloud had nearly killed me. I don't know all the details, and I think the others have hid it from me a little, too, but it wouldn't be unlike Barret to have vented his anger out on Cloud. He regrets it now, and he didn't mean to, but..."

"But at the time, he nearly lost you, and probably thought he had lost Cloud," Zack said, nodding. "I understand. Cid?"

"He arouses Cloud's suspicion whenever he's near. If they're just talking business, Cloud's fine. But if Cid asks about Cloud himself, Cloud closes up."

"What about Godo's daughter?"

"Yuffie? Her presence doesn't seem to bother him. She likes to call him her big brother." A small smile turned up her lips, her gaze distant. "It's very... cute."

"But it hurts. Vincent, Nanaki, Yuffie, and Cait Sith, huh...? But not you, Reeve himself, Cid, or Barret... Strange."

"Don't misunderstand. He's attacked all of us at least once. But after a time, it became obvious which of us set him off. If I went to visit him with Yuffie, then... Cloud would get angry, and frightened."

Zack nodded. "Right." He looked to her. "But, how are you? This can't be easy for you."

She looked up at him, smiling smally. "I hang in there. I've got enough to do, to keep me busy... and I want what's best for him. If I... only hurt him, then I'll do what I can to avoid that, until he gets better."

Zack smiled back. "You're a good friend, Tifa. I'm going to do what I can to figure out what's going on... figure out what's hurting him so much. I know I'm a part of it; this is all too much to be mere coincidence. I'll do what I can."

"Thank you. If I can ever help out at all, let me know, okay?"

They both turned when the door opened, and Vincent walked into the courtyard. "Zack, it appears that the creature that attacked you and the Turks in the train has appeared elsewhere. Either that, or there's more of them. It might be best to discuss this elsewhere, however." Vincent gestured over his shoulder. "Cloud's on his way."

"Best we go, then, and I should probably get back to the dojo." She gave them her farewell before leaving, and Vincent looked at Zack questioningly when he didn't move to follow them out. Zack shrugged, and trudged after them, and wondered. Few of his thoughts were encouraging. It didn't help that he realized he was hungry.

***

"What's happened?"

"It was caught breaking into one of the science centers," Vincent said, as they entered the darkened A Block again. He took Zack into a separate section of the block, one that was more heavily guarded, until they were walking down a hallway of cells. They stopped in front of one, and Vincent motioned for Zack to look through the cell door's window. Zack did, then shook his head.

"There's nothing--"

"Look up."

It was just as Vincent spoke that Zack felt it, and his eyes darted upwards; he leaned his head to see better, and saw a dark-robed figure defying gravity, sitting in the back corner on the ceiling, motionless.

"What was it doing?"

"It was breaking into one of the cold-storage specimen banks when the Soldiers caught it. Cloud will be receiving the news shortly."

"Another Clone, then...?" Zack muttered. "After... Jenova?"

Vincent was still watching him. "We think so. Melantha is going through a few tests to let us know just who or what this is."

"You've mentioned this Melantha lady before."

"Yes. At some point, you will meet her as well."

"Why?"

Vincent shook his head. "I'll tell you later."

Before Zack could ask for an explanation, a quiet voice said, "I thought they must have told you already, Vincent." Zack turned and they saw Cloud approaching. "Does it look like your monster, Zack?"

"Yeah, though I haven't gotten to look at its eyes."

"Mm." Cloud stepped up to the door, looked through the window. He stared at it, face dispassionate. "It's... dead."

"It is?" Zack leaned down beside Cloud, staring up at it. "How can you tell?"

Cloud glanced at Vincent, then used his keycard to unlock the door. Vincent started to protest, but Cloud stepped into the cell and the black-robed figure fell to the floor, cloth pooling about it like the blood that stained the ceiling. He walked to the body and jerked off the hood of the robe, revealing the grotesque remains of something that might have been human. The eyes had burned out of the sockets, and the pulpy flesh, or what remained of it, was singed, bruised, and leaked blood.

Standing straight, Cloud dropped the hood and walked past the other two. "Burn it," was all he said, and headed back to his office.

***

Zack didn't stay to watch Vincent burn the body, and instead spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Junon. He only came back to find Cloud still at work, though he had put a dent in the paperwork. Cloud called Vincent to ask him to show Zack where his Junon apartment was, and even though Zack protested, Cloud assured him he'd be doing nothing but paperwork for another few hours and that it would be boring for him.

So Cloud did paperwork for another hour, after most of the Shinra Building was empty. Then he checked his watch, turned off the lights of his office, made sure it was all locked, and descended down to A Block.

***

Cloud walked into the dark room, knowing Reno stood on the other side of the door. He did not glance at any of the Turks as he walked in, Rude following, the door closing, but he did glance along the line of windows. Rain hit the panels of glass, creating a screen of comforting white noise. He forced himself to relax physically, and let his eyes rest on the man waiting behind the desk.

"I would have expected you to bring Donovan along," Rufus said. He leaned back in his seat, and Cloud shrugged his shoulders.

"He doesn't need to know," was all Cloud said, and walked over to the windows. He did not hear Rufus turn his seat to follow him, but he could feel the other man's eyes on him. "What did you need to tell me about?"

"The Turks will be reporting this to Reeve and Valentine tomorrow, but I thought you'd be interested in hearing this first. The new drug hit the streets, and Reno and Elena managed to trace the trail through the dealers. It certainly filtered through a complex network... but it all goes back to Wutai."

"Yakuza?" Cloud said, placing a hand against the glass.

"More than likely. Rude has already begun sending out messages to our contacts. We ought to hear from them soon."

He nodded. "What about the other thing?"

"The black boxes? Nothing yet, and nothing about a model larger than the ones employed during the Wutai War." The seat shifted, and Rufus stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back. "It would be helpful to know," he said, "why you're so interested in them, Strife."

He continued to watch the rain. "Why are you so interested in me?"

"Why shouldn't I be? You're an enigma."

"I'm dangerous. I don't see why you haven't had me killed yet. It would be one line between you and the presidency erased."

"Why didn't Avalanche kill me? Or perhaps, why hasn't _he_ killed me?" Rufus turned his head, looked at him. "I'll heed his warnings, Cloud. But that doesn't mean that I can't look at you."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"You'd rather no one did. It's why you wear those masks of yours. The ones in your eyes. Don't think that I can't see them and know them for what they are--I knew _him_ too."

Cloud turned away from the windows, started walking back to the door. "You read too much into things, Shinra."

"You hide too much, Strife," Rufus shot at his back. "And you should probably warn Donovan before he finds out the hard way. We wouldn't want him getting hurt now, after coming back from the dead, would we?"

Cloud had crossed the room again so quickly that the Turks didn't have the chance to draw weapons and take a few steps before Cloud had Rufus up against the windows, eyes narrowed, mouth drawn into a snarl.

"Leave him alone."

"I already told you," Rufus said with a grin, "I would never dream of taking him away from you."

The shorter man continued glaring at him for a few moments in silence, before he finally dropped the other back to the floor and released him. Rufus straightened his coat, still grinning.

"That doesn't mean _he_ won't, though. I said what I did for Donovan's benefit."

"Stop talking about something you know nothing about," Cloud growled.

"If you honestly believe that the Commander was able to hide that many secrets, there's no wonder you were so easily manipulated." Rufus shook his head. "Fine. Believe what you want to believe. After all, real history has never stopped you before."

"Shut up...!"

The copresident looked at him with his typical expression, then, ran a hand through his hair and started back to his desk. "I'll contact you when we've uncovered more. Get some sleep, Strife. We'll play again later."

Reno waited for Cloud to leave before whistling. "Never a dull moment with the Commander around."

"Sir," Elena muttered, walking closer and crossing her arms. "Are you sure we should let him...? I mean, it's obvious he's not balanced."

"Don't worry, Elena. Avalanche has become paranoid enough that they'll be certain to throw him back into hell if they suspect he's gone too far beyond the brink." Rufus tapped his fingers against his desk, gaze distant. "It doesn't matter. So long as we're playing his game, we have a hand over him, and that's something more than what Avalanche does. None of them know, after all... except for Donovan, perhaps. For right now, I'd rather keep it that way. Now." He looked to Rude. "The black boxes?"

Rude nodded. "I'll check it out tomorrow. So far they all point to Hojo's old files."

"Let's hope the bastard didn't bury them too deeply. Elena, you and Reno will check out the contacts again tomorrow. I want to know more about this wonderdrug."

"Sir," the two chimed simultaneously, and within another few moments, the office was empty.


	4. Chapter 4

Zack woke up when he felt a sudden chill against his side; he started, and nearly sat up, except a hand lay flat against his chest pushed him back down to the mattress of the bed. Zack blinked, looked to his right to see Cloud staring at him, curled up on his side, huddled and hair wet.

"When did you get home?" Zack mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"Not too long ago. I didn't want to wake you." There was a pause before the bright blue glow disappeared, Cloud's eyes closed. "Sorry."

"Okay?"

"Mm."

"Just thought I'd check." Zack winced, shifted onto his side, gathered Cloud into his arms as best he could. "Shit, kiddo... like ice..."

"Sorry."

Zack thought that that sounded too much like a voice holding back tears, but he knew Cloud would hate himself if Zack knew that he was crying. Instead, he let one hand smooth Cloud's damp hair, let the other one knead gentle circles against Cloud's tense back. He drifted to sleep when Cloud's breathing evened out.

***

A few days passed before Zack was finally able to get ahold of Professor Gren with Vincent's letter in hand. The nurses all seemed fit to tell Zack when he arrived again at the mental institution that he was lucky for being able to catch hold of the professor; when he wasn't working with patients, they said, he was always doing research and rarely made time for visitors. Langley, who happened to be the one escorting him to Gren's office, looked at Zack sideways before telling him that it could only be that Zack was investigating "that specific case" and that he shouldn't think it had anything to do with how they thought of him.

Zack ignored her.

The place was filled with bland colors and tiled floors that followed a chessboard-like scheme up and down the halls. Zack wondered, if the patients often went around barefoot, if the nurses ever thought to give them socks at least when they walked about the hallways. But then, he noticed as Langley led him to the offices of the doctors, that he never saw any of the patients unless he cared to glance into any of the rooms they passed, and that felt too much like an invasion of their privacy, so he didn't.

The hallway that housed the doctors' offices was carpeted, and the doors to each office were dark polished wood, as opposed to the metal doors that led everywhere else in the mental institution. Zack wasn't certain what to think of this, but Langley knocked on Gren's door, and after a voice called them inside, she opened it and ushered him in before closing the door quickly on his heels.

The office reminded Zack of no doctor's office he had ever seen before. Gren obviously had to be up there on the chain; the entire floor was covered with a rich rug, the walls were wooden panels and covered with bookshelves or framed pictures, degrees... everything felt rich, and though Zack was glad to see that the two chairs facing the professor's desk were plush armchairs, he couldn't help but think that Gren himself appeared very young.

He guessed he shouldn't have been too surprised. From what he remembered, Gast, Hojo, and Bugenhagen had all earned their first doctorates at a young age. It wasn't unthinkable, provided one had the funds and the IQ from early on. And Gren certainly looked like an intellectual, wearing a labcoat over a dark blue shirt and dark grey tie, slacks, loafers, spectacles... He looked like one's average every-day doctor, even to the few streaks of grey in his otherwise neat brown hair. He was standing at one of the bookshelves, one hand tracing along the spines as he searched for something, and paused to look up at Zack and smile in greeting.

"Good morning, Mr. Donovan," he said, pulling a book from the shelf and then holding out a hand. Zack took it, and then Gren motioned for him to sit. Zack did, while the professor himself moved to sit behind his desk, putting the book down on top of a neat stack of papers.

"Just call me Zack, please," he said, and the professor nodded.

"Certainly. Now, from what I understand, you wished to speak to me of a specific case?"

Zack nodded, and held out Vincent's letter. Gren reached to take it, and read over it, glancing up at Zack before finishing it. Zack nodded. "It's not just out of curiosity, professor. I'm concerned for Cloud."

"Ah." Gren put down the letter, leaned back in his chair. "As well you should be. He was barely functional when he was discharged from the institution."

"That's one of the things I wanted to ask you about. It seemed to me you would have recognized that... so why did you agree to discharge him?"

"It might seem strange, and I did not entirely agree. However, provided that he stick to his presciptions and take plenty of time off to relax from his stressful schedule, I thought he would be able to continue on a functional level. Don't get me wrong, Zack; I know how much the new Shinra Corporation needs him, or needs someone of his comparable skills."

Zack frowned. "So you were willing to let them continue to use him for their own ends."

"Incorrect, I'm afraid. From the various sessions of therapy, I discovered that Strife needs to feel as though he's doing work in order to maintain some functional level of mental security. He needs to feel useful. It has something to do with these certain feelings of obligation..." Gren cocked his head to one side. "I take it you are somewhat close to Strife?"

He nodded. "You could say that. What feelings of obligation?"

"He obviously felt obligated to many people, many things. I noticed that there is guilt stemming from the events of three years ago that he has not yet managed to relieve."

"Was there anything in particular?"

"That is where it becomes more difficult. I wish I could say that I was able to unearth those secrets, but many of them are buried so deeply that it was proving difficult. As it is, I still believe that he should come in for the occasional therapy session. I daresay he'd disagree to the notion."

"Surely you figured out something," Zack said, leaning back and hoping he wasn't letting quite so much of his concern show. He didn't know if Gren knew about himself, if Cloud had ever imparted any of his memories of his "death."

"The most prevalent source for most of his feelings and his mental trauma is none other than the previous Commander himself. But then, if you read the file, you probably figured that out yourself."

"That wasn't exactly difficult to figure out, prof," Zack muttered, dropping his gaze.

"Would it be acceptable if I ask you a question, Zack?"

"Ask it, but I don't guarantee I can or will answer it."

"What is your relation to Strife?"

"He's an old friend of mine," Zack said. "That's all. I'm concerned about him."

Gren nodded. "No, I understand."

"What about the therapy? What did you use?"

"Textbook techniques for the general therapy sessions. A few more experimental techniques for a few of his more... intense moments."

"Experimental?" Zack questioned, and the professor shook his head.

"I can't tell you that much."

"Why the hell not?"

"Even with this letter from Valentine," Gren said, tapping the paper with a finger, "that's something that remains strictly confidential. Strife himself might tell you, but then... he might not. As I'm sure you know, he's rather secretive." He paused, then said, "And I imagine he hasn't been taking his medicine either."

Zack didn't know how to reply to that. It certainly wasn't a question, but it didn't feel right to tell this man anything about Cloud's current condition. He didn't want to risk anything that might land Cloud back into one of the cells.

The professor seemed able to read some of that from Zack's expression, and shrugged his shoulders. "Outside of the mental institution, his actions are his own."

 _I don't think there's really much else I'll be able to get out of him._ He hesitated, then asked, "What were you able to figure out? About Sephiroth?"

"Strife is obsessed with him."

"The file said about as much. You don't think..."

Gren smiled. "That there's a chance that Strife is being haunted by a ghost? An intriguing question, considering you're asking a scientist."

He shrugged uneasily. "Still, that's what I'm asking."

"From my experience," Gren said, the smile fading, his voice taking on a somber tone, "the only ghosts that haunt us are the ones we want to haunt us. Strife centered his life around Sephiroth at an early age, and continued to do so. It would seem, to me, that Strife has not been able to find anything or anyone to replace all the things that Sephiroth meant to him. I don't think that, in his current condition, that Strife even wants to try." As Zack remained silent, Gren said consideringly, "If Strife were able to focus on the more positive aspects of Sephiroth that he has ingrained into his mind, it would at least grant him some peace from the nightmares of three years ago. He might even then find it easier to begin finding other, less harmful things to replace the ones currently in his mind. He might heal over time. But for now, my recommendations still stand."

"Less stress and more medicine," Zack muttered.

"Yes. Please do your best to encourage both for him." Gren chuckled. "He would never listen to me."

***

He left the institution feeling uneasy. It wasn't just what Gren had told him--there was something about the place that set him on edge. Perhaps it was just the thought that someone close to him had been caught in there for a year. But...

 _Gren... seemed honest enough._ Zack stopped at one of Junon's many balconies, overlooking the lower levels of Junon, the ports, and the sea. It was still cloudy overhead; this fall was aspiring to be winter. _And what he said about Cloud... and Cloud not being haunted after all... It makes a creepy kinda sense._ The thought creased his brow, as he leaned against the thick wall separating the balcony's edge from the high fall. _But if that's true... Cloud, how could we get you to forget Sephiroth? I mean, that's impossible, right?_

"Oi. Move your spiky ass."

Zack looked over his shoulder, grinning back. "You move yours, stupid Turk."

"At least I know where the kid gets it from," Reno laughed, joining Zack at the wall. "Somebody looked too damn thoughtful for his own good. Had to harass him."

"Coming from someone who's never had a serious thought his whole life, I feel that I would be perfectly justified in spanking him."

"You just want a piece of my ass. Admit it."

"You're just jealous of my hair."

"Like hell." Reno snickered, took out a cigarette and lit up. He inhaled deeply and let it all go before leaning beside his old friend. "Find out anything?"

"Not anything good."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Don't see why it would interest you, though."

"I'm sure you noticed. The boss likes to keep an eye on the kid."

"That's part of the problem, I'm sure. He's paranoid enough as it is."

"Unlike some of those Avalanchers, though," Reno spat, "we're at least discreet about it. The kid's only caught us once tailing him, and even then he didn't seem to care."

"Seeming and actually being are two totally different things with him, Reno."

"You think we don't know that? But I mean, he didn't give a fuck. At all. We came out the moment we knew he knew we were there, and he just shrugged it off. Actually smirked at my joke and walked back to his apartment."

Zack blinked, watched as Reno took another drag from his cigarette. "So what do you think?"

"Me? You wanna know what I think?" Reno snorted. "The kid should resign. Then get laid. A hell of a lot, and by someone he trusts." The redhead waved away the smoke with his free hand, but his face and voice was completely sincere. "Someone who can drive that bastard out of his head."

"You think..."

"That all this voodoo crap is because there's the old Commander's ghost running around? Hell no. If you--" Reno stopped, sneered, snubbed out the cigarette and flicked it over the balcony. "Okay, Zack, if the boss or anyone else knows that I told you this, I'm screwed, so don't you dare tell anyone else about this, but..." He turned pale blue eyes to Zack's gaze, completely cold and sober. "Just 'cause his ghost ain't running around making the kid funny doesn't mean that someone else doesn't want him back. And I'd sleep a hell of a lot easier at night if you'd drag your ass over to Dr. Melantha and let her get a blood sample so she can do her tests--we still haven't managed to get them done with the kid, he won't let anyone get close if he's wounded and there's no way in hell to get a syringe close to him--but the kid's not the one who's back from the dead, so." Reno bit off a curse, turned and leaned back against the wall, staring up at the sky. "Damned rainclouds."

Zack looked back at the sea. "I guess I will, then. Still..."

"What?"

"It doesn't... feel right." He could tell Reno was looking at him again, from the corner of his eyes. "Am I trusting him too much?"

"Here, Zack. Let me put it to you straight. If the kid tells us there are monsters on the way, then we believe him 'cause the first time, when we didn't, we lost a lot of men and civilians. If the kid tells us there's something wrong, then yeah, we listen. But his track record when it comes to telling the truth is far from straight, and it doesn't help that we know three years ago screwed him around more than his goddamned friends even know."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Zack said, and Reno shrugged.

"Avalanche's nearly killed him once already. We don't wanna give 'em anymore reasons to consider it. As the boss would put it, he's too useful, and he doesn't deserve it."

"Then what kind of a game is your boss trying to play, huh?"

"Simple. One he can win." Reno started walking away, whistling, but stopped and looked back at Zack. "There are some things I can't tell ya, Zack. But you do what you think is right, got that? You're one of the few people left on the goddamned Planet whose instincts I trust." His eyes narrowed. "So if you do feel that crazy bastard around, you let us know."

***

He wandered back to the Shinra Building, only to find that Cloud wasn't in his office. Surprised, Zack asked one of the Soldiers standing guard in one of the hallways to learn that the Commander was going through some of his daily exercise routines. Wondering why Cloud had never told him about these routines, Zack found his way to the S Block, where the SOLDIER training gyms were, and found out where Cloud was practicing pretty easily.

There was a commotion coming from one of the observation decks that ran along one of the training floors, and Zack came close enough to the door to listen to a group of troopers whisper excitedly about the Commander's speed and maneuvers. Zack blinked, seemed to recall a scene very much like this from over eight years ago.

 _Only this time,_ he thought, descending down to the lower level so he could enter the training gym's floor, _I won't turn my head to find a little blond kid hiding in one of the corners, admiring the Commander of SOLDIER..._

He walked just past the doors, stopped and watched as Cloud, wearing only a pair of black sweatpants, went through a series of complex maneuvers. He glanced up, saw a couple groups of Soldiers watching from above as well, tilting heads together and whispering from time to time, while the troopers and recruits babbled more loudly. Then he turned his attention back to Cloud, for a few seconds thought he saw Cloud crossing blades with someone--but he blinked, and it was just Cloud, there was no one else.

Without thinking, Zack shed his jacket, throwing it along the back of a nearby bench. He sat down on it, started to pull off his boots. His entrance had already attracted the stares of some of the Soldiers, but now a few of the troopers had noticed him as well. Silence fell over the hall, and even the sound of Cloud's practice blade cleaving the air halted. Zack looked up to see Cloud standing at the ready, blade held before him with two hands, face expressionless. Their eyes met, Zack pulled off his shirt, and grabbed one of the practice blades from a stand along the wall.

He stepped up onto the wide area of mats, loosening his muscles as he went, his eyes still locked with Cloud's. He couldn't tell what his old friend was thinking, but for a few seconds, he thought he saw a familiar grin tug at his lips, and he grinned back, easing into his own stance.

They stood still for a few moments, each breathing naturally. Cloud hadn't even worked himself into a sweat, which Zack thought amazing given the sheer speed of his last couple of exercises, and Zack wondered just how fast his own body was capable of going. Soldier or no, he had been out for so long...

 _And quite possibly dead during some of that time. Just what am I anymore?_

Cloud's first stroke knocked that thought clean out of his mind, however, and Zack found himself thrilled when he felt the vibrations run through his arms as he blocked it cleanly and initiated a counterattack. This was familiar, this was something his body seemed to wake up to... and in moments, they were moving at a speed that would have surprised him, if he had been fully conscious of it. Instead, his eyes were on Cloud's eyes, and the way the blond almost smiled as they moved across the floor.

Zack wasn't certain when it happened. All he felt was a brief stir of cold air, saw a shadow pass over his sparring partner, and the next minute he had Cloud backed against the wall, their blades locked across Cloud's throat, their faces only inches apart, and a smirk on his lips and Cloud's eyes, wide--and then a resounding clang, and his blade went whirling through the air, knocked out of his grasp in a move that he hadn't even been able to make out with his eyes, and the blunt edge of Cloud's training sword against his throat.

He could hear his blade hit the mats behind them, heard the stillness between them before the troopers burst into cheers. Cloud's eyes, narrowed now, glanced up at the troopers, and then he removed his blade and stepped closer, keeping his voice pitched low.

"It's all right. I know that wasn't you."

Cloud headed for the benches, and Zack retrieved his weapon before doing the same. The crowd on the observation deck began to thin out, now that the excitement was clearly over, and Zack only paused in gathering his clothes to see that the Soldiers were conversing amongst themselves. Determined not to think too hard about it, Zack simply followed Cloud through one of the other doors and into the locker room.

***

It was strange just how something as casual as stripping down in the locker room felt after what had happened in the training gym. Regardless, Zack kept quiet as he left his things on one of the benches and stepped into one of the showers, actually thankful for the initial jet of cold water. If nothing else, it confirmed that he was fully awake, that he felt everything, but froze when he heard a soft sound from the curtain that separated his shower stall from the aisle.

"Cloud--?" he started, turning, only to find the younger man reaching for his face. He nearly jumped back, but the look on Cloud's face froze him, even as the water became warmer.

Cloud's hand tentatively touched his cheek. "It's okay," he whispered. "I knew it wasn't you."

"Then who was it--" But Cloud's fingers slid over his lips, and Cloud shook his head. There was something strange in the blond's half-lidded eyes, something in their warm glow, and Zack knew better than to argue. Instead, he paid attention to the soothing stroke of Cloud's fingers along his cheek, until Cloud's hand withdrew. Cloud blinked, and a flush rose to his cheeks as he stepped back, a blush that wasn't just from the heat of the showers.

"S-sorry," he stammered, and immediately reached for the shampoo.

Whatever had been so skewed snapped back into place, like a bone being reset. Reality shifted back where it needed to be, and Zack shook himself and turned to the mundane act of washing his hair. He felt as though he should have been more worried by whatever had just happened, but realized he was just as glad that Cloud was acting like his normal self, the Cloud he knew, complete with a blush that had spread a considerable area considering the shower's warmth.

Grinning, Zack reminded himself to bathe, but decided taking a few peeks out the corner of his eye wouldn't bother the younger man much. Cloud, true to memory, remained blithely oblivious.

***

"Do they often come like that?" Zack asked, toweling off his hair with one of Cloud's own towels, taken from Cloud's own locker.

Cloud was getting dressed right behind him; he could hear the shift of cloth and leather. "Hm?"

"The Soldiers, I mean. And the troopers."

"Not all the time. It depends." Cloud sat down on the bench besides Zack's own clothes, leaning his head against the back and staring up at the ceiling. "On how busy things are. It's in-between semesters for the recruits, so they turn up more often nowadays. They'll start to disappear once it's time for the new term."

"And the Soldiers?"

"Sometimes. They'll come occasionally. One or two will ask to train with me, and I let them unless I don't feel like it. I guess you beat them all to it, today."

"Why didn't you tell me you did this, huh?" Zack asked, pulling on his own clothing. His hair wasn't completely dry, but it would do; he was glad to see Cloud's was still damp, hanging closer about his face. "I could have come by before. Gods know I need to get back into shape."

"Mm." Cloud closed his eyes. "Don't know. So routine... I don't tend to think about it anymore."

"That's all right. I should have thought to ask."

"Mm."

"Hey, Cloud..." Zack paused, wondering if it was all right for him to ask, to be so forward, but... "Cloud, in the shower, did you...?" His voice trailed off as he turned around, only to see that his young friend was asleep, the rise and fall of his chest evident. Zack sat down beside his friend and pulled him into his arms, watching as Cloud automatically shifted, drawing up legs and curling against the curve of the bench, curling into Zack's arms, bringing his hands close to his face and curling against the fabric of Zack's shirt. Zack looked down at the sleeping face and smiled, closed his own eyes and decided that it didn't matter.

 _At least, not now. Gods, just for now..._

***

Zack had started to slip asleep himself, and jolted himself out of it. He stirred Cloud as well, hoped that by allowing Cloud to rest, he hadn't thrown off any schedules.

 _Actually, even if I had, I don't think I'd care._

And when Cloud woke up, he yawned and smiled up at him, before getting to his feet and stretching.

"Best nap I've ever had on a bench before," Cloud said. "Though next time, let's nap someplace else, okay? It smells too much in here."

After getting a promise from his friend that he would be ready to go home at the same time the other executives were going home, Zack left him to find the science department. It was turning out to be a strange day, indeed, and stranger still when he saw a young woman walking down the halls towards the science department with long brown hair--

"Aerith?" Quickening his pace, Zack followed the young woman into the science department's reception room, only to see her speaking to the receptionist and pulling a white labcoat around her shoulders. Both women stopped speaking when they noticed him standing there, and when the woman turned to look at him she smiled.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could find Dr. Melantha, would you?" he asked, glad he sounded more at ease than he felt. Still, now that he was closer and had a good look at her face, he was glad to see it was just a superficial resemblance to Aerith, nothing more. Her face was longer than Aerith's, her eyes brown and older.

The receptionist giggled at him, and the woman held out her hand. "I'm Dr. Melantha," she said, nodding as he took her hand. "And you are?"

"Zack Donovan."

"Ah, the Commander's friend. Vincent told me you and I should meet at some point." She gestured to one of the hallways. "Shall we?"

He had never felt at ease with anyone in the scientific profession, and while he had gotten past her resemblance to Aerith, he still felt strange to be walking down these halls.

 _I have got to restrict myself to just one of these kinds of places per day. This on top of that mental institution?_ He held back a shudder, and felt much more at ease when Melantha took him into what seemed like her personal office, which was surprisingly green.

"I hope you're not allergic to anything," she muttered worriedly as he stepped inside and the door closed behind him. "Few people develop allergies to these, I chose them specifically so everyone could come in, but..." She picked up one of the several potted plants and switched it out with one she had placed under a sunlamp. Zack blinked, wandered over to one of the chairs. The office was also nicely furnished, though not nearly so rich as the one he had been in earlier that day; then again, he had the feeling that Melantha spent most of hers on plants. Melantha then wandered to her side of the desk, and sat down with a sigh. "Sorry about that. Things have been very busy these past several days."

"What with that creature that broke into one of your science centers the other day, I think you'd have plenty of reasons to be busy," Zack said, sitting down and noticing that one of the plants nearby his foot was catnip.

"Well. Yes..." Melantha shook her head. "What's worse is that our tests have only confirmed what Vincent said the Commander believed."

"That they're Sephiroth clones?"

"Or something very similar. The problem is that these clones are far more advanced than I thought possible." When Zack looked at her blankly, she shrugged. "It's not that they're more like Sephiroth than the ones that appeared three years ago, it's that they've more of Sephiroth's cells in them than Jenova cells. In the Sephiroth clones that Hojo began producing after Sephiroth's death, there was hardly any presence of Sephiroth's cells within them at all. In fact, they were more along the lines of Jenova clones."

Zack nodded. "Whereas this last one had only Sephiroth's cells?"

"Something like that. The DNA I've been studying shows that they aren't, of course, precisely alike. But in this clone, there was a disturbing amount of cell detritus where the brain should have been... and my guess was that it was more of these new cells, attempting to erase all traces of their existence."

"That's really creepy, doctor."

Melantha stood, going to one of her bookshelves. "You look as though you've been through the SOLDIER induction process, correct?"

"Several years ago, yeah."

"Then you know, at least from what the others told you, what the Jenova cells have to do with it?"

"Something about the combination of the cell injection and the Mako infusion enhancing our physical bodies and senses."

"That's correct. But it happens because the Jenova cells assimilate with the other cells in the body. The difference between you and the clones in the past is that those clones were mentally weak, thus the Jenova cells were able to exert their influences over the mind." She finally took out a book, opened it and began flipping through the pages. "The cells that resemble Sephiroth's so much..." She finally stopped, handed him the book, and then gave him a piece of paper from off her desk. "They're acting just like the Jenova cells, only there's no trace of Jenova at all. Or, if there was, then the new ones have essentially assimilated them."

Zack blinked, saw that in the book there was a sketch of DNA, labeled clearly to be Jenova's. He didn't quite understand it, but he took a look at the sketch of DNA on the piece of paper. "Is this...?"

"A DNA sample from the clone. And here," she handed him another piece, "is a sketch of the original Sephiroth's DNA."

"I never was a scientist, but... yeah, I can definitely see the resemblance," Zack muttered, looking from the clone's DNA sketch to the one of Sephiroth's. "Meaning..."

"Meaning someone has a sample of Sephiroth's original cells, and has either given them the means to mutate into a type of virus, much like the original Jenova, or..."

"Shit."

"Precisely." Melantha took the book and sketches from him, and put them on her desk. "Our current Commander has the ability to sense the presence of these new cells. The only problem is that he... won't let me figure out why he has that ability. And I fear for him." Her brow furrowed, and she bit her lower lip for a second, lost in thought, before venturing to say, "I... don't know much about him... but from what I've been told, and what little I've discovered... He might have been the only 'clone' that Hojo might have used... Sephiroth's actual cells..."

"Not... Jenova cells at all?" Zack said, and Melantha shook her head.

"It's only a hunch. I have no proof. Even if I did, that wouldn't explain why he hasn't been affected like the one that broke into the center the other day."

"How much of this does Avalanche know?" he asked.

"Enough. Vincent instructed me to be selective with what I told and who I told it to. And I agree with him. The only reason why I've told you so much is because he told me to." She looked at him again. "He also asked me to take a blood sample."

"I know. In fact, that's the main reason why I came." Zack stood. "How much did he tell you?"

"Enough. Come, we'll step into my private lab back here... I don't dare conduct this sort of research out in the open anymore, especially since that attack." She walked to the back of the room, drew aside a curtain to reveal a door. She ran her keycard through a scanner and typed in an appropriate code before the door slid open, and she motioned him in first. He did, trying not to shudder as he stepped into the lab. It was, of course, clean and stank with the smell of chemicals all at the same time, but he reminded himself that it was far better than the conditions he and Cloud had been subjected to beneath Nibelheim...

"I see you share the Commander's dislike for this kind of environment," Melantha said, walking around him and gesturing to a metal chair. Her voice was quietly thoughtful as she went to one of the cupboards, preparing a syringe. "Though I can't blame him... I don't think anyone can. It's a shame, though; he's apparently quite the scholar himself."

"He did study a lot, when he was trying to get into SOLDIER," Zack muttered, sitting down in the chair. It was purely functional in design, and not at all comfortable, but he did his best not to let too much of his discomfort show.

Melantha began dabbing his arm with a cotton pad, and Zack didn't watch. He kept his eyes trained elsewhere, at the pictures on the wall.

"Family?"

"Not anymore," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I should have been there with them." The cotton pad was discarded, his arm stretched out. If Zack wasn't so used to this sort of thing back from when he was initially inducted into SOLDIER, he would have been more alarmed at how quickly she was moving.

"What happened?"

"I was here, in Junon, when Meteor fell. They weren't evacuated in time." The prick of the needle, and Zack blinked against the familiar sensation. "I was stationed here as a medical doctor, still working to heal the people whom had been injured by the Weapons... But, as I thought about it back then... I could either have been here, saving lives... or I could have been with my family, and unable to save them. To die with them instead. I tell myself... hold on just a moment..." She pulled free the syringe, immediately put another cotton pad over the wound, counted a few seconds and then removed it, tossing it away in the trash. Zack looked down at his arm, at the red dot on his arm where the needle had been, already healed over. He then watched as she drifted over to the counters, back at work. "I tell myself," she continued, her back to him, "that they would have wanted me here, where I could help people. Still, though... I don't know where I would rather have been."

"It's best... not to think of things like that," Zack said, standing up.

Melantha looked over her shoulder at him. "I know. Which is why I don't, not anymore. Not when I can help it, anyway. Right." She put a stopper on the vial that held Zack's blood, and said with a nod, "I should be able to give you the results of the tests tomorrow."

***

Zack went inside Cloud's office, already calling out in greeting only to find Cloud wasn't there. Again. Disturbed that that had happened twice in one day, Zack thought he must have been called away to sign something somewhere else... or was taking a break up in the courtyard. Zack thought to go straight back out and find his friend, but his eyes caught a folder on Cloud's desk that definitely hadn't been there before.

He didn't like to think of himself as nosy, but there was something about the stenciled letters and the confidential tabs that drew his attention. He glanced at the door, then back at the folder, and deftly picked it up, just wanting to get a look at the folder's title.

[BLACK BOXES  
CODE: WU-256]

Zack blinked. "The black boxes? Those were banned from the Wutai War before I even showed up there... Didn't Seph ban them...?" He flipped open the folder, noticed that the first page was blank, flipped to the next, and shuddered when he noted that the first pages of the file were all colored photographs from the Wutai War... and all of them of the notorious black boxes. He forced himself to close the folder and put it back on Cloud's desk.

The door opened before he was halfway across the room, and Cloud stepped in with a distracted look on his face that immediately focused on Zack when he saw his friend.

"Zack?" Cloud mumbled, and he grinned.

"I was wondering where you were. You ready to head home?"

"There was an attack that I had to see to," Cloud said, and Zack noted that there was definitely the smell of Mako around his friend.

"Where? And why didn't you tell me?"

Cloud shrugged and walked over to the desk, leaning Ultima Weapon against the desk's side before sinking into his chair. "In the tunnels again. There were two of the clones. They're gone now; we didn't have the chance to catch them. But... they were so close. Why didn't I notice them earlier?"

"Hey, you can't expect to be a monster radar all the time. I'm more disturbed at how they must have slipped through the security so easily." Zack wandered closer, peered down at Cloud's desk. "Hey, what's this...?"

Cloud opened one eye, looked at the file. "Nothing. Need to have them take it back."

"Huh?"

"I requested a file. They brought me the wrong one, that's all."

"What a mistake to make," Zack muttered, picking it up.

"Do you remember anything about those?"

"Me? No, I arrived at the war too late. Probably just as well. Those things messed up a lot of people's minds."

"Yeah." Cloud took a deep breath, then stood up. "You're right, though. Let's go home. Everything else can wait until I've had at least one night's decent sleep."


	5. Chapter 5

Zack handed the older man a glass, watching as the couples moved smoothly across the dance floor below. The silver-haired man looked down at the glass, took a sip, and then looked back down at the waltz.

"Toxic Venus?"

"Yeah. Hard to believe they actually had all the ingredients at such an uppity party, huh?"

"Perhaps. But I would have found it harder to believe that you didn't find a way to get your hands on them yourself."

"Heh, well, all I would have had to do is find Reno..."

"Too late."

"What do ya mean?"

The Commander of SOLDIER waved vaguely to the side of the banquet floor, to one of the curtained, conveniently private ambulatories that followed that one end of the floor. "Rufus found him first."

Zack snickered, but stopped when Sephiroth said, "So?"

"So?"

"The trooper you mentioned before. Did you find him?"

"You could say that."

The taller man made an inquisitive sound. Zack shrugged.

"I had to pull him out of a brawl. Kid was fighting for his life. Even more surprising, given the odds, he wasn't doing half-bad at all."

"Born survivor, eh?"

"Something like that. Surprised the Turks haven't been looking into him as a possible recruit." Zack took a sip from his own glass, and said thoughtfully, "Though, you know... he'd turn them down anyway."

"Not just anyone can turn down the Turks once they've extended an invitation."

"I know. I'm just saying... well, he'd never agree."

Another inquisitive sound, and a half-empty glass went to the nearest table.

"He's hell-bent on making it into SOLDIER."

"Is he?"

***

He stepped outside the hall feeling heady from the Toxic Venus, but like the Commander he had stopped at half a glass and thought he was little more than tipsy. Strange, then, that he managed to catch a glimpse of blond out the corner of his eye as he walked down the empty halls of the Shinra Building. He called out after it, and grinned when he saw a familiar face lean out from around a corner, looking back at him with large blue eyes.

"There you are, kiddo."

***

It was the first time he had ever snuck anyone into the SOLDIER showers, and the first time in a long time he had ever shared a shower stall with anyone, let alone a scrawny recruit still recovering from bruises that he wouldn't let him heal. Zack always told the kid that he could, that it wouldn't be any trouble, but the kid insisted, and said that they'd go away eventually, and he was fine, he didn't want Zack to go to any trouble for him...

And yet, here they were, because Zack finally talked him into going with him to the SOLDIER showers. Zack told himself, at first, that it was just because he wanted to make sure that nothing happened to the kid again in the showers--he was a bully-magnet, and his resistance did nothing but goad them on, Zack was sure of it--though he hoped, now that he had the kid transferred into his squad, things would be better. In fact, if things worked out well enough, the kid would no longer have to pretend he was staying at the trooper barracks, but could officially move in as his roommate at his apartment.

After a few moments, though, even Zack's voice of reason had to admit the other reason, which was that--bruises or no--the kid was beautiful to look at. A survivor, through and through, and now that he was finally starting to get a little bit of meat on his bones he was developing nicely, all sleek muscle and bone, awkward teenage body that seemed as hollow as a bird's, but sometimes--occasionally--when the kid wasn't trying at all--there would come a moment of feline grace that told Zack exactly how the kid was going to turn out, SOLDIER induction or no.

That the kid never seemed to realize Zack was watching him made him just that much more tempting, but Zack never told him.

Then came the night that he found out.

***

He had always had some idea, of course. He had always known that Cloud's claims for registering sounded hollow in some way, though he had never known why. He just knew that he only heard Tifa's name that once, and then it was never the girl-next-door's name he heard from those shy lips. It was always another name, a name spoken with an inward reverence, a whisper, eyes that could look straight at him and yet not see him, see someone else, the one who owned that name. Zack should have seen that as an indicator as it was.

He could be blind sometimes, though, if acknowledging one thing meant that he could never have another. And, try as he might, he did want Cloud, though he could never say it to his young friend's face, could never say it in any other way than to smile kindly at him when no one else did, give the kid a shoulder to cry on, arms for him to hide in, a bed for him to curl up in when the rest of the world was too much for a fourteen- or fifteen-year old to handle. Kind smile, kind words. Just not the words he wanted to say.

It made him jealous, that Sephiroth was loved that way. Sephiroth had never touched the boy's life except as an idol, and yet Cloud would have followed him into hell if it came down to it. Zack had no doubts; Cloud would, and would have told Zack that he didn't care how much he hurt, so long as each footstep was closer to the Commander. It was so beautiful and romantic and tragic all at once that it hurt, and for awhile Zack was thankful when he got sent off on a solo mission, until he realized that having no one else to talk to meant that he thought about the two of them all the goddamned time.

***

Hell was Nibelheim. Hell was a hometown he had never known nor had the reason to care for going up in flames, and caring for it anyway because it wasn't his but because it was Cloud's. Hell was the first Mako Reactor, all Mako smell and machinery and Masamune slicing through him and the wall in Sephiroth's eyes, the quiet threat and the words, _"You're my friend, Zack. Don't force me to kill you now."_

Hell was sending in a boy, watching him charge up metal steps and into the blue and black chamber, to confront his own god. Hell was hearing the scream from the catwalk, the agonizing scream of a boy who should have died, _should_ have died, should have never had to go through that much pain in the first place.

Hell was Hojo's laboratories beneath Nibelheim. Hell was the experiment table, the Mako chambers, the chemicals. Hell was listening again and again to the boy he had found himself loving screaming and hell was listening and hearing nothing, not even the boy's breathing. Hell was four years of pain that he only remembered in abstract thoughts and the rare physical reminder.

Hell was finding out Gongaga was dead and not knowing if his parents shared that fate. Hell was one year on the run, never pausing to stop long, never knowing where the next meal could come from, never knowing if he was going crazy or if Cloud was going crazy but being pretty damned sure that neither of them was all that mentally stable, at least not then.

Hell was a night of shared warmth in a cave praying that the monster that had made the den wouldn't come back, sheltering a smaller, trembling body from the cold of snow outside, and being unable to do anything but whisper, _"It's okay, Cloud, I'm here, I'm here for you, I'm not going to disappear, please don't disappear, I'm here, I'm here..."_

Hell was a rocky outcropping overlooking Midgar. Hell was gunshots in the rain. Hell was the faintest vision of wide, frightened blue eyes, and his name from those lips calling after him, finally hearing the need in them that let him know that he was needed, and loved, even if not in the way he had always hoped.

***

Zack opened his eyes when he felt a hand on the side of his face, the calloused pad of a thumb brushing wetness away. He blinked, squinted, waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark, and blinked again when he saw Cloud's eyes looking at his, the Mako glow subdued. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked around, disoriented... this bedroom looked unfamiliar. His mind could only fasten onto the two things in it that were familiar: his Buster Sword, in a case of swords that were not his own, and then Cloud, who watched him with that quiet gaze.

"Where...?"

"My apartment in Junon. Remember...?"

Zack blinked, then settled back down on the bed. "Maybe. It's fuzzy."

"You were crying." Cloud's hand settled on the side of his face again, and Zack found himself relaxing as Cloud pulled himself closer, resting his forehead against Zack's chest.

"I was?"

"Yeah... in your sleep..." A pause, a warm sigh. "I thought... I was the one who was supposed to have nightmares..."

"I'm not sure what it was," Zack mumbled, closing his eyes and remembering just how good it felt to tuck Cloud's head beneath his chin. "It wasn't happy."

"I'm sorry..."

Zack chuckled. "Some things never change. Here you are, apologizing for something that's not your fault... always..." He stretched himself out, let Cloud shift around so that they fitted better together. For once, Cloud didn't seem so cold, and he pulled the blankets up to keep that heat, keep Cloud close. Things grew quiet again, and his eyes grew heavier, but then he heard a soft whisper against his chest, shuddering, fearful, though the body that rested against his was so still.

"I'm glad you're here, Zack."

He didn't know if Cloud thought he was asleep, he didn't know if he should reply, he didn't know what to do.

"Too many ghosts... always, so tired... just want to... go away..."

The voice faded into sleep, soft mumbling that had no coherency, and Zack wondered just how much longer he'd be able to hold himself back, wondered why he had to hold himself back, from just telling Cloud how he felt. Maybe it would help... maybe if what was happening wasn't really Sephiroth at all, just someone using the old Commander's cells...

He thought about it, and fell to sleep thinking about it.

***

The following day, Cloud and Zack decided it was high time to get Zack a harness for his old Buster Sword. Cloud offered to have it reforged, if Zack wanted it to have more materia slots, but Zack chuckled and admitted that he didn't quite have Cloud's talent for materia, and whatever he could fit on his armor would be plenty.

"Besides," Zack said with a chuckle as they walked into the lobby of the building, "most of the materia's locked up in the vaults, right?"

Cloud nodded thoughtfully, shrugged, and said, "Yeah, but they won't always be."

So they found themselves in the Shinra Building's armory, where the armsmaster took Zack's measurements while Cloud leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed, eyes quietly watching the procedure.

"So, you to get the full SOLDIER look?" the man said, scribbling down the measurements. "We oughta have a uniform in your size, if you want."

"Well, actually, I don't think I..." Zack looked to Cloud. "What the hell am I classified as, anyway?"

"Special ops," Cloud said, his eyes moving to the armsmaster's confused expression. "No uniform."

"But sir," the armsmaster said, "do we even have a special ops division?"

Cloud just stared, and the armsmaster quickly rattled off that he'd have Donovan's harness ready within a few hours, wouldn't take long at all--and then he was gone, hurrying into one of the side rooms. Zack pulled his coat back on, and looked at Cloud with a small grin.

"Do you like scaring people into doing things?"

"It's how they expect me to be," was all Cloud said, shrugging and standing straight. "I do have a request for you."

"Oh?"

Cloud nodded, wandering over to a rack of firearms. He picked up a handgun, one of the newer models, one of the ones that had been designed exactly to Vincent's specifications. "How would you like to go on a mission for me? I have to stay here, in case more of the monsters show up, and I still haven't worked my way down through the paperwork yet."

"What kind of mission?"

His younger friend glanced up at him. "I need you to go with the Turks. They're meeting with a Wutanese contact about the new drug. I'm not worried about the Turks; they've dealt with this sort of thing before, and know exactly how to go through any negotiations that need to be made." Cloud looked back down at the handgun, turned and held it out to Zack. Wondering, Zack came closer and took it from him, knowing that Cloud meant for him to take it. "I worry about how much they're going to tell me, and tell me truthfully. Vincent's been hiding things from me lately. I know he does it with the best intentions, but I want to know what's going on, I need to know what's going on, and I can trust you."

Zack thought about it, drifted over to the other side of the room, where there were several types of ammunition. He immediately began going through the stock, selecting a specific type of bullet. "Is there any reason in particular this drug concerns you so much?"

The answering silence caused him to look back at Cloud, and he saw his friend standing with his eyes averted, biting his lower lip.

"Cloud?"

"I think it may have something to do with the monsters." Cloud looked back at him, eyes so focused and intent that the Mako glow was glaring. "Later today, I'm heading down to the Junon Mako Reactor."

"Didn't you say something about all the Mako Reactors being shut down? And that the tunnels to the Junon reactor were all blocked off now?"

"The monsters are coming in from somewhere. I don't buy that excuse that they're coming in from the countryside." His eyes narrowed. "So I'm heading down there before we wind up with something worse than a dragon."

Zack shook his head. "Then you're not going alone. I'm going--"

"Vincent's going with me. I need you to go with the Turks, deal with Rufus if you have to."

"Cloud--" The taller of the two stopped himself, finally nodded. "All right. I won't argue. But I don't like this."

Cloud's face softened. "I know it's hard to believe, especially with everything that you know has happened since Meteor fell, but... I can do it, Za-kun. I'll be okay." He shook his head, looking away. "It's one of the few things I know I can still do... one of the few things I'm still good for."

***

Zack pulled on the harness, surprised at the change not having the huge SOLDIER-issue belt made. The buckle at the front of the belt was weighted heavier to help provide something of a counterbalance and support, but the shoulder straps were of standard thinness and Zack was surprised to see how well it worked along with a gun holster, for the handgun that Cloud was now signing off from the armsmaster's list, as well as marking off how much ammo Zack had taken from the store. Zack slipped on the harness and then his coat, settling it about his shoulders and glad that the handgun hid perfectly in its holster, remaining in easy reach but not within easy sight.

The armsmaster looked up at Zack after Cloud handed the list back to him, and nodded approvingly.

"You'll find we've improved the magnetic sheath. You can wear the harness beneath your coat and still keep your sword on your back, no problem."

Zack grinned. "Really? Awesome. Doesn't that make us a walking disaster for computers?"

Cloud chuckled, and ignored the armsmaster's resulting stare as he started outside. Zack gave the man his thanks, hiding his own smile at the older man's flabbergasted look, and hurried to catch up with his friend out in the hall.

"I'm serious, though. What if one of us took out the entire network?"

"That won't happen. You'll be fine, trust me."

It wasn't long before they were up in Cloud's office, where they found Rude, Elena, and Reno waiting for them. Reno stopped his slouching the moment they entered, and grinned as Zack went to retrieve the Buster Sword from where he had placed it alongside Cloud's Ultima Weapon. Just as the armsmaster had promised, the sword settled into place against the harness without a problem, and Cloud conversed quietly with the Turks.

"If there's any sign of trouble, you're to call Vincent immediately. If we're in the middle of investigating the reactor, we'll drop whatever it is we're doing. It will take some time to get from the reactor to the surface again, though... so you'll be on your own for at least another five minutes before we arrive."

"If there's a scrape that we can't get out of ourselves in five minutes then we deserve whatever happens," Reno snorted. He looked over Cloud's shoulder easily. "Oi, you ready to go?"

Cloud turned and looked at Zack, face as impassive as ever, and Zack had his own face schooled to apathy as he stood by his friend and leaned down, whispering, "You sure you're going to be okay with this?"

Cloud nodded. "Vincent knows what to do if something happens," he said, just as quietly. "You can trust him about that. Believe me."

"All right then." He straightened, looked at Reno and grinned back at the redhead. "Shall we?"

***

The meeting place was out on the docks, where Reno singled out a Wutanese man who was directing the unloading of cargo from his vessel. Elena, Rude, and Zack trailed far enough behind so as not to be too conspicuous, but apparently the people of the ports were used to this sort of thing; they pointedly ignored the Turks.

Reno spoke shortly with the man, in what Zack thought was near-perfect Wutanese, and then the red-headed Turk ambled back over to the group.

"He says his boss is waiting for us in one of the yakuza set-ups around here. We're to ask for a man named Shin." Reno jerked his head over one shoulder. "Let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go out for drinks."

The place Reno was talking about was apparently located in the back of one of the many warehouses along the ports. Zack had always wondered if all the things he had heard about the yakuza were true, and he was more and more surprised to see that they did follow the old movie portrayals of them, straight down to having elaborate lounges hidden in the back of warehouses. The warehouse itself was nothing spectacular; except for the guards waiting for them just inside the warehouse doors, the place only seemed to be filled with boxes and boxes. When they reached the back, a hidden door opened and more guards stepped out, and then a man in a business suit, wearing shades.

He grinned at them as the door closed, pulled off his shades. "Reno-san. It's been a long time."

"Shin, you old bastard. Still kickin'?"

The grin became smug. "Of course. Now, what is this thing you're so curious about? If I know, I might be able to tell you."

"Damned straight you will. We're looking for something that's been called 'oasis,' out on the streets."

"Oasis?" Shin said, pursing his lips. He looked at Reno's company, looked at Zack curiously. "He's not a Turk. Who is he?"

"No one important," Reno said quickly.

Shin shrugged. "Yes, we know about this oasis drug. We've all seen it, by now. A few have used it."

"Now we're getting somewhere. What does it do?"

"Ah, anything more than that, Reno-san, and you'll have to pay."

Zack glanced to the side. There was some sort of movement going on among the boxes. He knew better than to move his place; if he showed that he knew there was something else going on, it could easily turn the yakuza against them, and that was the last thing they needed. Taking a deep breath, he listened as Reno haggled out the price of the information with Shin, their bargaining interspersed with curses and threats. Shin appeared to be enjoying himself, Reno was starting to lose his temper, and Zack was beginning to wonder if Cloud and Vincent were already on their way to the reactor.

***

Vincent stopped, turned to see Cloud looking at the glass walls of the tunnel. "Cloud?" he said softly. "Cloud, is everything all right?"

The young man shook himself, looked to Vincent. "Yes?" He hurried to catch up to his friend as they approached the open doors, preparing their weapons. The moment they had entered the underwater tunnel they knew that something was wrong; the Mako smell was too strong, and then they had noticed that the doors to the reactor were open.

Vincent drew Death Penalty, and stood just at the entrance while Cloud inspected one of the doors, taking a closer look at the long, claw-like markings that scored their way through the mythril metal.

"Vincent..."

"What is it?"

"Clones... or... just the cells, but the feeling... it has to be..."

Vincent glanced at the younger man, saw Cloud running a hand along one of the markings, brow furrowed. "Do you think you can go on? I can go on ahead, and you can stay here for back-up."

Cloud shook his head. "No. Let's just go on."

At first, they found nothing out of the ordinary. When they reached the control room, they found that the reactor was operating, but wasn't actually doing anything more than generating enough electricity to run the reactor itself. Other than that, it only seemed to be bringing up the Mako.

"But where would it all be going?" Cloud muttered, looking over one of the control terminals. "I didn't think that this reactor had the chambers like the one in Nibelheim."

"It shouldn't," Vincent said. "However, if they directed the flow of Mako into a single room and sealed that room..."

Cloud left the terminal and went to his side, staring down the darkened corridors. "If that's true... Wasn't there a marine lab built down here? Before the reactor was closed off?"

"Follow me."

They started down one of the hallways, down a set of stairs that led to the ground floor of the reactor's core chamber, where everything hummed and glowed with a surreal light. The floor swirled with the haze of red Mako, and when they reached the door to the marine lab, they found it locked. Vincent tried swiping his keycard in the scanner beside the door, tried entering the master passcode that would allow him access into every electronically locked door created by the Shinra... but it didn't work.

"Of course." Vincent cursed, stepped back from the door and glared at it. "Whomever's done this planned ahead... knew we would be looking... bastard..."

"If we shut down the reactor and seal it up again," Cloud muttered, "whatever he's got in there will die eventually. And if we destroy the controls so he can't operate the reactor again..."

"True. Still, I'd feel better if we had more evidence and clues to chase down the son of a bitch." Vincent sighed, knocked against the door with his claw, listened for any signs of response from within. "Silent."

"Maybe they're dead already." Cloud drifted closer to the core itself, suddenly stopped and turned around, eyes widening. "Vincent, look out!"

The taller man turned, the Death Penalty raised, and fired without hesitation at the black-robed form descending from the ceiling. The figure screeched and landed with a squelching thud against the floor, but as Vincent pulled the trigger, a stalk of green suddenly thrust upwards from the black robes, forking into multiple stalks, each one slitting open into something like a mouth, growing fangs, teeth, slits that opened into glowing green eyes... Vincent stepped back until he bumped into Cloud, who was standing motionless, eyes fixated on the creature as it continued to grow, the tail coiling behind it.

"Cloud," Vincent said, grabbing the blond man's shoulder by a claw, "this chamber's too small for us to fight effectively; it will have us if we stay in the corridors. We have to move!"

Cloud pulled his gaze away from the monster, looked to Vincent, nodded, and took off back down the way they had come, just as the hydra darted after them, mouths snatching after them.

***

"Oasis is developed from a very rare, special plant," Shin said at last, grinning as he fingered through the bills of gil that Reno had finally handed him. He passed it and another like it to one of the guards behind him, who immediately ducked into the back room. "It grows in Wutai. And, if you'd like a sample..." He reached inside his coat pocket, held up a vial with a small, dark purple pill resting at the bottom. "Then here you are. Oasis."

Reno looked at it speculatively. "How much? And if it ain't cheaper than the stuff getting dealt out on the black market, than you can forget it."

"You want a discount, eh, Reno-san?"

"You never answered my question about what the hell that shit does."

"You should ask him."

Zack blinked, suddenly noticing that all of the Turks, all of the yakuza guards, and Shin himself were looking at him. "The hell...?" he muttered.

Shin was smirking. It was far worse than his grin, the way his eyes looked at him knowingly. "You've seen the results. Or at least, you will."

"What's that supposed to mean?" But Zack had an idea, and glancing at Elena he could tell that she, too, had caught on. His appearance of surprise and boredom slipped immediately, face hardening, voice hardening. "What does Strife have to do with this drug?"

"So you are friends with the Commander, yes?" Shin said with a chuckle. "Heh, thought so. Reno-san. I will give you this sample for half the street price, because we are such good friends."

Reno was glaring at Shin, now, and the smirk on his face could have cut Shin in half. "You think so?"

More movement in the boxes, and Zack got ready to draw his sword, or just to go straight for the handgun if he needed to.

Rude took a few steps closer to the front of their small group, reaching into his pocket as if for more of the gil, while Reno said, "I don't think we can do that anymore, buddy, not since you just brought Strife's name into this--"

The first gun shot came from over Zack's left shoulder. He whirled, drawing the Buster Sword and charging through the two guards in his way, mowing them down in a single stroke and looking for the gunman. Behind him, he heard the Turks moving, heard Reno curse and the sound of glass hitting, then rolling along the floor.

"Got it, Reno!" came Elena's gasp, and then the warehouse erupted into gunfire.

***

"Vincent!" Cloud skid to a halt, darted off to the side just as one of the hydra's heads snapped at the place where he had been standing. "Come on, to the docks!"

"But they're closed--"

But Cloud was charging off down the hallway to the docks, and with a curse Vincent followed him as they ducked through one doorway and sprinted across the catwalk that crossed the reactor's core chamber. The hydra hissed from the other side of the catwalk, as if uncertain it could get its body across, and Vincent felt himself pushed gently back and to the side as Cloud drew the Ultima Weapon from his back. Vincent immediately backed to the railing of the crosswalk, taking care not to get close enough to tempt the hydra, and watched as Cloud sprung forward, plunging the Ultima Weapon straight through the mythril door that barred the entrance to the docks, and Cloud withdrew the blade with a swipe upwards, cleaving the door in twain so that it fell to the sides of the entrance, clearing the way for them. Glancing back over his shoulder at Vincent, Cloud walked onto the submarine dock. Vincent turned his glare back to the hydra, but followed after.

The docks suffered from worse lighting than the rest of the reactor, but even from that dim light they were able to make out bundles of eggs, gelatinous sacs of them hanging from the ceiling, clusters clinging to the walls, a thin film of them spread over the surface of the water. Each cluster emitted its own green light, and Cloud murmured a curse under his breath.

"They're concentrated along the flow of the Mako energy, see? All along the pipes, or where the pipes must be closest..."

"We need to get back to the control room," Vincent said, then turned and looked back out the entrance. "The monster's gone."

"It could be trying to find another way to reach us. Either way, we have a better chance of survival in here than in those hallways."

"Unless something decides to hatch."

"I don't think so." Cloud moved close to one of the clusters. Vincent's eyes narrowed and he nearly cried out for Cloud to stop, but Cloud met his gaze first and shook his head. "It's fine. They're asleep. If we had fire materia, or explosives, we could probably destroy all of them..." He shook his head, nudged one of the clusters with the toe of his boot and watched as the entire sac trembled. "Too many, it'd take too long to take them out one by one, and then we'd be risking missing some of them."

"Agreed..." Vincent came closer, keeping an eye out for any other figures lurking in the dark. "Any idea how long we have? If we can go up to the surface, get a squad with flamethrowers..."

"Think Reeve can have them ready to send down here as soon as we deal with the hydra?"

"More than likely."

"Go ahead and call, then, so he can have them prepped. They're not going to hatch immediately, but..."

Vincent reached inside a coat pocket, pulled out his PHS unit, hit the speed-dial number for both of the copresidents. He kept a wary eye on the nearest cluster of eggs, then took to looking at the doorway for any other signs of the hydra.

"Reeve? Shinra?"

The two answering voices responded with a "Vincent," and a "Valentine," and Vincent pressed on before they could ask questions first; he knew they were both curious about Cloud's sudden mission.

"Cloud's hunches were right, and whomever was here before us left behind a booby trap. We encountered another clone... it seems that this one had the ability to physically transform, as well. The only problem is that we haven't managed to kill it yet."

"What do you need us to do?" Reeve asked, and Vincent realized he had lost sight of Cloud. He glanced away from the door but did not see his friend immediately, but kept his gaze on the doorway, more worried that the hydra would slither inside if he wasn't paying attention.

"Get a squad of men equipped with flamethrowers prepped. The moment we've dispatched the monster, we need them down here to help us out with some pest control. The entire submarine dock is covered with eggs."

"Eggs?" Reeve again, and Rufus made a soft sound of interest.

"We're not sure what they are, but I sure as hell don't want them to hatch in order to find out. We'll contact you as soon as we're rea--" He cut himself off when he heard a resounding clang, cursed and shut the unit, turning quickly. "Cloud!"

Cloud lay crumpled beside one of the clusters further along the submarine dock, completely motionless. Vincent ran to get to his friend, but before he reached his side several large, serpentine heads burst out from the water, the hydra with all five heads between him and Cloud. One of the heads turned and bent, tongue flickering, towards Cloud, and Vincent raised the Death Penalty and fired directly at it. Another one of the heads darted directly into the path of the bullet, and though it hissed in pain, the four of them focused immediately on Vincent.

He glared straight back at them, only glanced to see that the fifth had done nothing more than nudge Cloud's still body. "After my friend, are you...? We'll see about that."

***

"Elena, this way!" Zack shouted, deflecting another strike from one of the yakuza's katana before countering with one of his own, taking off the man's legs. Ignoring the screaming and the blood, he looked up as she fired another gunshot and then ducked behind him. "D'you see Reno and Rude?"

"They took off after Shin!" she cried out above the gunfire. "They'll be okay; we've got to get this sample out of here!"

"I'm for that." He pointed down the line of boxes. "There's a doorway right down here, and I think it's clear, just keep an eye out around the top of the boxes. I'll cover you while you escape."

She nodded, ran off down the side aisle of boxes. He pressed himself against the side as another yakuza opened fire on him. The impact of the bullet against the side of the box caused the entire stack to waver, and Zack cursed as he drew his handgun. He counted the bullets and waited, then ducked around the side, spotted the yakuza, and fired one handed. As that one crumpled over, he saw several more yakuza darting off to the opposite side of the warehouse. Zack cursed, knowing they had to be after Rude and Reno, but he knew that Elena was right. Looking about one more time for anymore guards that could follow them, he holstered the handgun and took off after Elena.

He found her outside in the alley, first leveling her gun at him, and then dropping her aim when she saw it was him. He closed the door behind him and looked to her.

"Do we have a rendezvous point?"

She shook her head. "No, but they ought to call us soon." The young Turk walked to his side, reloading her gun. "Let's get away from here, before any other yakuza in the area decide to see what the excitement was about."

They got out of the alley, and Zack was unsurprised to find the street completely abandoned, though he did wonder exactly which way the other two Turks had gone, that they didn't hear anymore gunfire or sounds of pursuit. They moved quickly to the other side of the street, started back to more populated areas, and hadn't gotten far when Elena's PHS rang.

"Reno?" she said as she put it to her ear. "Yeah, we're fine. You sure? All right. We'll meet you there." She put it away, looked at Zack. "They lost Shin. Reno says we're to meet him in upper Junon, at his favorite bar. He and Rude are going to take the long way there, going to check something out."

"His favorite bar, huh?" Zack shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sounds like Reno. Regroup with a few beers."

They ran into a group of troopers that had overheard the gunfire, and Zack let Elena deal with them; now that things were quieter again, his mind was free to think over what he had heard from Shin, about the yakuza's taunting words, his interest in Zack... and what he had said about Cloud.

 _It doesn't make any sense,_ Zack thought, looking up at the sky. It would be raining again, and soon. "Dammit. Been around you Turks too much."

Elena's head snapped around from where she was berating the troopers from holding them up for so long. "'Scuse me?" she said.

Zack shrugged, then grinned at her. "Sorry. Just couldn't help but think that I wouldn't mind a glass of something right now. Or one of Reno's cigs."

 _Or just some goddamn answers._


	6. Chapter 6

"You..." The voice was as sharp as the legendary blade the Commander was said to carry. Cloud knew it, knew it as surely as he felt that voice cut through his emotional walls, right through his barriers. He froze, cringed, stood in the middle of the officer's showers, waited for the punishment he knew would come and oh, gods, why'd it have to be--

"You're Zack's friend. I've seen you here before."

The tone of voice wasn't sharp. That was just the quality of the baritone, the strength. The tone of voice... Cloud couldn't really think of it, couldn't really identify it, but it wasn't what he was expecting, and that was about as far as his addled brain got before the other man ordered him to turn around. He did, and swallowed, his eyes shut, until a long-fingered hand touched his face, and that same voice commanded that he open his eyes.

He encountered a green gaze that he had only seen from afar, but he could have recognized it anywhere, from anywhere, knew the one person it could have belonged to... and he swallowed, felt the pad of a thumb run over his lips, heard another change in that voice... amusement?

"So, Cloud Strife. I finally get to meet you face-to-face..."

***

He always felt badly. He had something wonderful, something so wonderful, but he had to keep it inside, couldn't even tell his only friend. He tried, or thought to try, but he couldn't help but think that it was wrong.

So the nights that Zack was gone he found himself on a bed that wasn't Zack's, that wasn't in Zack's apartment, that he wondered if Zack had ever seen--even though he had the strangest feeling that perhaps Zack had, though he wasn't certain--and it bothered him when he was alone to think about it, but he wasn't alone now, and Sephiroth was there, and Sephiroth wanted him, and...

***

He began to see them, every now and then. Men wearing suits. There were plenty of businessmen in Midgar, of course, especially that he saw out on guard duty, especially on the nights when he was Sephiroth's alone. But businessmen were different from these men wearing suits. These men were dangerous. He could tell; he got a look at one, a younger one, with red hair and cool blue eyes and he knew he should be afraid of them.

He mentioned it to Sephiroth once. Sephiroth had run his hand through Cloud's hair and looked at him thoughtfully, then nodded and said he would look into it, and then kissed him.

The men wearing suits never disappeared. They never stopped, not completely, but after that night Cloud didn't see them so often anymore. He thought he was safe.

***

A library. Dust. Dust motes. An old bed that had been covered with dust when they first found it. The cleaner bed of the inn outside in the little hamlet. But that was different. He had slept that night with Zack, in Zack's arms, though he could feel Sephiroth's gaze on him, on them, and then there was the day of the reactor and Sephiroth had pulled him aside sometime afterward, away from Zack or anyone else in Nibelheim, and had just stared at him, stared, stared so hard that Cloud couldn't summon the courage to tell Sephiroth that his hand was hurting his wrist, and then something in the stare changed somehow, and Sephiroth kissed him instead.

Still, it felt different. It felt strange. But Cloud, even though he was scared, didn't want to think of being left alone.

He hadn't wanted to think of Sephiroth being alone either.

A library. The library. The dust motes were the same, even five years later, even after the materia had hit him in the chest and Vincent had joined them. Everything was the same, the night he crept back down to the library, the night that he found Sephiroth waiting for him.

In Nibelheim, five years ago or in the present or in the future or whenever, Sephiroth's laugh had never been all right. Cloud wasn't certain what it was, but it hadn't been what it had been before when he had managed to make the man smile, laugh. Not even the smile was the same.

The green gaze, though. That never changed.

***

They weren't standing but they weren't floating, either. They weren't weightless. He could feel the other man's weight, could feel the other man's warmth. He could remember. He could remember things, the certain way that Sephiroth said one thing, did one thing, said and did many things at the same time, even without words.

He remembered it. It was what he knew best of all, better than himself, better than anyone or anything else.

He remembered it even better than cutting out his own heart, cutting it in front of his own eyes and that one last fatal swing that had ended everything.

He had ended. He thought at first he could move on, but he had been naive then.

Sephiroth made sure of that.

***

Vincent grunted as his back slammed into one of the mythril walls. One of the hydra's heads had managed to throw him, slammed into him with such force that he had been flung backwards until he hit the wall. It hurt like hell, but the pain would fade away, he was stronger than that, but before he could even pick himself up after he fell from the ground, he heard a shriek of pain, followed by a roar, and even quieter than that, the chiming of Ultima Weapon as it sang.

"Cloud..." He got up on his feet in time to watch Cloud cleave one of the hydra's heads in half. The beast was panicking, as if Cloud, standing and very wide awake, was something unexpected. Vincent grinned before opening fire on the creature from his side; now that its attention was divided, he could make out the spots of weaker scales on its multiple necks, could target those spots, was rewarded with more shrieks and hisses and the oozing of black blood from its sides. Between his aim and Cloud's swordwork, the hydra was unable to keep itself afloat. The weight of the other four dead heads sinking into the water caused it to thrash until it went down with one last shriek.

Cloud joined Vincent as they watched the glow from its green eyes fade and finally disappear.

"You all right?" Vincent murmured, and the younger man nodded. Vincent looked at him, red eyes narrowing from worry. "What happened?"

"I'm... not sure," Cloud muttered, putting his free hand to his forehead. "I don't think it was a materia discharge... a sleep spell..."

"The hydra certainly seemed to have been expecting it."

"Well, whatever happened, it's over now," Cloud said. "Let's get that squad down here to deal with these eggs and destroy the controls to the reactor. I want to get out of here."

***

Zack was worried when they arrived back at the Shinra Building--they had met Reno and Rude outside of his favorite bar and then wasted no time getting back to HQ, which surprised Zack but showed him just how seriously Reno was taking this--only to discover that The Commander and Vincent weren't back from their own mission, though apparently a flamethrower squad had been dispatched, along with a group of reactor technicians, to the underwater reactor.

So he soon found himself standing in Rufus's office, since Rufus was the copresident who dealt exclusively with the more military aspects of running the company, and wondering absently if Dr. Melantha had finished running her tests on his blood sample.

"So yeah, Shin was perfectly willing to do business with us," Reno said, as Elena handed the vial containing the sample over to the copresident. Rufus held up the vial, staring at the innocuous pill with narrowed eyes, while Reno continued. "Told us that it was developed from a rare plant... grows in Wutai. Then Shin said some crap when I pushed him to tell me what it does to people. He pretty much said that Zack'd know, 'cause of Strife."

Rufus lowered the vial, placing it carefully on his desk, and looked at Zack calmly. "Did he?"

"A fight broke out, 'cause I figured Shin must know a hell of a lot more than he was willing to sell us. I wanted to bring him in, so Zack and Elena grabbed the sample and ran while Rude and I tried to get Shin. Bastard's still as slippery as an eel; we lost him and got distracted by a few of his buddies. Then, while those two headed to the rendezvous, we went checking out a few of the dealers."

Zack ignored Rufus, paying much more attention to Reno now. The Turk was idly twirling his nightstick, looking up at the ceiling. Elena looked nervous, but Rude was standing beside the door, stoic as always.

"It's still not been out on the street long enough, but apparently that shit's a pretty damned strong hallucinogenic. Better yet, some of the addicts who got their hands on some have completely disappeared. No bodies, no signs that they actually left the Junon streets or anything. Just gone. That's all we were able to find out, though."

"Donovan. What do you think?"

Zack shook his head. "I've been pretty close to Cloud since I've been here... I've not seen him once pop any pills. Hell, he's not even been taking his prescribed medicine."

"Shin made it sound as though we would see the results in Strife, though," Elena offered weakly. "It almost made it sound like... like Strife was..."

He snorted, crossed his arms. "A threat of some sort, maybe, but I don't see it. Cloud hates drugs, he knows what they can do--five years stuck in a fucking vat of chemical cocktails'll do that to you--"

"Donovan." Rufus's voice was quiet enough to grab Zack's attention; he stopped and noticed the copresident was no longer looking at him, or even the pill, but at something else on his desk that Zack couldn't see because of the computer terminals. "Do you remember at all what kind of drugs Hojo subjected you or Strife to?"

"Even if I did remember everything, Hojo would never have used anything called 'oasis.' That, and I thought this was a new drug?"

"Or an improvement on an old one," Reno said, tapping his nightstick against his shoulder and looking at Zack thoughtfully. "It happens."

"So you think whomever's making this thing has--or had--a tie to Hojo?" Zack said.

"There's no way of knowing. Now, Donovan, let me give you a... hypothetical situation." Rufus was watching him levelly. "A new Shinra forms out of the ashes of the old one. A new commander rises to fill the empty space left behind by the Planet's last great hero."

The ex-Soldier returned the stare with his own. "I'm listening."

"Certain organizations outside of the new Shinra immediately recognize this new commander as a greater threat. After all, everyone has figured out, more or less, that he surely had some great hand in saving the Planet, though no one knows exactly what that is. These organizations do a bit of research, or at least they have the connections in all the right places to get someone else to do their research. They want the new commander to fall. They want to weaken the confidence of the people in the new government. They want to terrorize what little structure of peace has been established since the incidents of three years ago." Rufus sat down in his chair, leaning back, his eyes never once leaving Zack's. "They can't attack him, not directly. They wouldn't stand a chance. So, they take another route, a route that worked on the last commander, and would certainly work on this one."

"You think someone laced his water with it or something?"

"Perhaps. Or found some other way to get it to him. Before Strife entered the mental institution, there were plenty of opportunities, and no one was watching him, or at least not closely enough."

"And if this drug's such a powerful hallucinogenic..."

"Precisely. Someone set it up. They knew Strife would eventually attack someone--another member of Avalanche, a random civilian, myself, Reeve--if the drug was powerful enough. He would have been through several battles... scarred... even Sephiroth had nightmares of Wutai once the war was over. And not even Sephiroth could avoid getting drugged, not completely." Rufus shrugged. "Or Strife sought it out himself, perhaps. There was certainly enough stress, and no one was keeping quite so close an eye on him at the time, not even the Turks, though we tried."

Zack thought about it, then shook his head. "It still doesn't work." Elena made a sound of disagreement, and Zack glanced at them all before looking straight back at Rufus. "The mental institution. They would have had to go through a required physical inspection--there would be some record of traces of the drug in his bloodstream. I've gone through them myself. There are none."

"Heh. Then I guess we'll just have to make sure that no one attempts to get this new drug to Strife." Rufus picked up the vial again, stared at the pill. "Reno."

"Sir?"

"Get this to our good doctor, let her know we think she might want to compare it to some of Hojo's old concoctions."

Before Reno could take a step to retrieve the vial, Zack walked to the desk and held out his hand instead. "I'll do it. I have to stop in on Dr. Melantha anyway."

Rufus paused, then shrugged and handed it over. "All right. Reno will accompany you."

"Trust me that much, huh?" Zack said with a grin. Rufus returned it, then glanced at one of his computer monitors.

"Looks like they could finally come back home. They seem to be in one piece, though with Strife it's hard to tell these days. Hmph. In any case, you'd best be going, Donovan, so that way you can see him the minute we're all done debriefing."

***

The walk to the science department seemed even stranger than the first time, with Reno tagging along. There was a strange amount of bustle in the corridors than Zack remembered seeing at all the brief amount of time he'd been there, but he imagined it might have something to do with the mission Vincent and Cloud had returned from; whatever it was, it had been big, then, just like Cloud had thought.

 _Either that, or things had been so peaceful that people are ready to pounce on anything that moves._

They reached the outside of the science department's facilities just as Melantha was walking out, a troubled look on her face, but she stopped the moment she saw them, nodded, neatly turned on her heels and walked right back in. Zack and Reno exchanged looks, the Turk shrugged, and they followed after her, picking up their pace so that way they didn't lose her. They followed her into her office, where she went quickly to the desk, picked up a thin file, and handed it to Zack just as he held out the vial. They swapped items, and while Zack flipped open the file, Melantha looked to Reno questioningly.

"This is it?"

"Sure is. Name on the street is oasis. We need to know exactly what the hell it is."

Melantha nodded. "I'll get started on it immediately. And if--"

"Confused?" Zack snapped the file closed, looking up at the doctor sharply. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it says," Melantha said, turning her attention straight to Zack. "The blood sample confused the tests. The tests I've developed are very specific, and your blood sample threw all of them off. You don't fit under any current classification--you're not simply human, you're not simply a Soldier, or at least, not anymore, and you're definitely not a Sephiroth clone. I'm going to do my best to figure out just what has happened to you, because your DNA is certainly different from the records we have of you before--before your disappearance, but until then that's all I can tell you."

Zack closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and handed the file back. "Thanks, doc. Sorry about that."

"There's no need to apologize," Melantha said quietly, taking the file and placing it on her desk. "You have reasons to worry, and good ones. However, I'm going to have to insist on getting a sample from the Commander."

Reno blinked. "I'm not so sure that's ever going to happen, doc."

She shook her head. "If Donovan's like this, then I seriously worry for our Commander. Especially if he's the one that--" She cut herself off, sighed, and looked to Zack. "I know you worry for him, and I know you share a similar opinion about scientists... but please. You don't have to try to convince him, just--"

"I understand, doctor," Zack muttered. "I'll see about it, but I can't make any promises, and I don't think I'd want to." He looked to Reno. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah." The Turk ran a hand through his hair, careful not to knock back his shades. "Look, doc, just get back with us about that drug as soon as you can. They might also want to talk to you about that mission in the underwater reactor later, just so you know."

"Gods, why can't the copresidents just call a board meeting?" Melantha sat down heavily behind her desk, and nodded. "Certainly. I'll be working on the drug in the meantime."

They left the dispirited doctor in her office, and trudged along in silence until they left the department's facilities.

"Hey, Zack," Reno said, before Zack could head back to Cloud's office. Zack stopped, looked back at the Turk questioningly. "You still owe me a drink."

He chuckled. "What, mad that you didn't actually get one after the meeting with the yakuza?"

Reno winked. "I'll come by when I'm off. You and me, we'll go back to my favorite bar. You'll like the food there."

"What was the name of the place?" Zack asked, as Reno started back toward the elevators.

"Seventh Heaven," Reno said. "See you then, eh? And don't worry, I'll keep what Melantha said to myself."

Zack snorted. "You expect me to believe that?"

All he got back in reply was a short laugh, and then, steeling himself, he went to Cloud's office. He wasn't surprised to find that Cloud wasn't there yet, and took to watching the dreary weather outside the windows while waiting.

***

Cloud could feel Vincent keeping a careful eye on him as he finished up his report to the copresidents in Reeve's office. He knew he looked tired, though he knew the others couldn't know precisely why... and he wasn't going to tell them. He finished, and Reeve quietly dismissed him, while Rufus gave him that nonchalant stare that hid the predatory look that told Cloud that Rufus thought he knew something the others didn't, and the frightening thing was that, with Rufus, it was likely he did know something.

Cloud didn't bother saluting, didn't bother with any of the formalities. He started out, heard Vincent inform the others that he had nothing to add and would accompany Cloud back to his office, and he said nothing about it when the taller man joined him out in the hallway.

"Cloud," Vincent murmured the moment they were out of earshot of the Soldiers standing guard outside of Reeve's office, "let's stop in the Turk lounge."

Cloud didn't disagree. Within a few minutes, he collapsed in one of the few armchairs of the lounge, ignoring Elena's indignant squawk as Vincent hurried her out, though once the blonde took a look at the Commander she hushed up and left without any further argument. Cloud blinked when Vincent turned out the lights, waiting for his eyes to adjust, and made out Vincent moving stealthily across the room to the small kitchen.

"What're you doing...?"

"Fixing you some tea. You need it." Vincent turned while the water was heating up, red eyes finding Cloud easily, even in the darkness. "You could go back to your apartment. Take the rest of the day off. No one would stop you."

"I'm fine, Vincent."

"Then why did you pass out? That's not like you, Cloud..."

Cloud shook his head, closed his eyes and curled up in the armchair, ignoring the fact that he was still wearing his boots. "I don't know."

"Good. I was hoping you hadn't talked yourself into believing it was another materia discharge. I think we both know better than that. What are the chances it was the hydra?"

"Pretty high. Though it shouldn't have gotten to me the way it did."

Hissing, steaming, water being poured. Approaching steps, and he could smell the tea as Vincent squatted down beside the armchair.

"Cloud... Please don't sit like that."

"Why?"

"It's too much like back then."

He uncurled, and took the tea that Vincent offered, cupping it and blowing at it. The steam smelled faintly of chamomile and something else, and he smiled, looking up at the other man.

"Trying to put me to sleep again, are you?"

A human hand descended into his hair, running through it in a familiar motion. "Just a nap. You seem more tired than usual, lately."

"I'll sleep well tonight when I get back to the apartment. Trust me. Please?"

Silence, then a nod, and another stroke through his hair. "Take care, Cloud."

"I will, Vincent... Thank you..."

***

Cloud entered his office, surprised to find Zack at the windows, and smiled faintly when his friend turned around to look at him. "I'm surprised you're sitting there so quietly," Cloud said. "I almost expected to see you running around with Reno outside, hitting on some helpless secretary."

Zack laughed, and hearing that did help Cloud. He wandered to his desk and would have sat in the chair if Zack hadn't reached him first, taking him up in a hug.

"I kept hearing things about your mission, but not enough. What can you tell me, huh?"

"You start with your story, first, then I'll tell you about what happened at the underwater reactor."

Zack let him go, and while Cloud sat down in his chair Zack propped himself up against Cloud's desk. Zack talked easily, imitating Reno's drawl when he told Cloud about their meeting with Shin, but his friend faltered not long after that and Cloud stopped him.

"How'd the fighting start?"

Zack shrugged, looked out at the windows. "Shin brought you into it. When Reno pressed him about what the drugs would do, he said that I would know, because I've been around you."

Cloud snorted. "Shin. He was lying, Zack. Shin wouldn't tell the truth when it comes to me."

"Huh? Why not?"

"His boss... doesn't like me very much."

"His boss?"

"I'll tell you about it later. Keep going."

So Zack kept going, and Cloud thought he didn't tell him everything about his debrief in Rufus's office, but there could have been any reason for that and Cloud didn't mind so much; if it came down to it, he'd push Rufus into answering his other questions himself. Then it was his turn, and he told Zack the general details, everything that he had told the copresidents. He saw Zack become more concerned when Cloud said he blacked out for a time, but when he finished it was his turn to shrug.

"Vincent and I suspect it was the hydra. It was either that or a materia discharge, but usually materia like that don't discharge... and not so far away from the vaults, either."

"Monsters do have a tendency to know a thing or two that humans don't."

"Because they've got more Mako through their veins than even me," Cloud muttered. "It doesn't matter. We got it all cleared up, the eggs started burning without a problem once the men got in there, and so far there haven't been any mishaps. Though I'm glad Rufus sent down a squad of Soldiers in case something were to happen..."

"Still no clues about who's behind this, though, huh?"

Cloud shook his head. "I've got a bad feeling about it, though. We'll just have to see what Melantha manages to come up with about the drug."

"Hmm. Well, there's one other thing, then."

He looked up to see Zack grinning like a fiend. "Uh-oh. What did you do?"

"I haven't done anything yet. Reno wanted me to go with him to his favorite bar."

Zack's smile was still as infectious as it used to be; he smiled as well. "You know you can do what you like. Your keycard will get you into my apartment without a problem."

"Aww, I was hoping you might want to come along."

"No." Cloud pushed himself out of his chair, and without thinking about what he was doing embraced the other man, leaning his head against his chest. "No... I don't think I should..."

One of Zack's arms settled around his waist, while the other hand settled into his hair. "Yeah, you should get some sleep. You look ready to drop."

"I'll get a bit of more work done before I go, but yeah... I'll be sleeping like a stone when you get back to the apartment."

"Right. See you tomorrow morning when you wake up then." But Zack didn't break their embrace immediately, and Cloud was glad for it. He waited for Zack to leave, waited several minutes until he was certain that Zack and Reno would have left the building for certain, and then he made a call.

"Do you have something for me? I'll be there in thirty."

***

Rude was waiting for him in A Block, right outside the elevator. He nodded to the Turk and they made their way through the corridors to Rufus's office. He noticed that the usual guards were missing from the floor, but didn't bother to ask; Rufus probably had them sent out to the underwater reactor on purpose, so there were less to notice that the Commander was visiting the copresident after hours again.

Rude opened the door, motioned Cloud in ahead of him. Cloud did, and watched as Rufus stood as he entered. The door closed behind him.

"Is this what you were looking for?"

Cloud walked to the desk, and took the folder that Rufus held out to him. He flipped through it, his face paling as his eyes stared at the black and white photographs, page after page of them, until finally he snapped it shut and handed it back, nodding.

"That's it," Cloud whispered. "That's Pandora's Box."

"Then now we have something a little more to work with," Rufus said. "We'll keep you updated as we find more out."

"There was nothing else... but the photos?"

"These were heavily encrypted data files we managed to find while going through the contents of one of Hojo's old vaults," Rufus said. "It'll take some time before we're able to go through and decode the text. Elena's been working hard on it when she hasn't been out fulfilling the rest of her duties."

"She has my gratitude."

"She's not doing it for you, Strife. You know that."

"You're not doing it for me, either."

Rufus grinned. "Now, you don't know that."

The shorter of the two said nothing, just glared at him for a time before turning and heading straight back for the door. Cloud knew he had lost, hated feeling as though he had lost, especially to Rufus, but realized as Rude let him back out into the hallway that he didn't care. He'd determine a way to keep Rufus quiet and get him to stop interfering--

 _Let him play the game. He'll lose, just like all the others._

Cloud stopped just outside the elevator, putting a hand to his head. He glanced around the darkened hallways, stared carefully at every gathering of shadows. There was no chill in the air, though; his breath didn't mist before him. Still, he backed into the elevator, and was glad when he didn't hear another voice in his head during his way back home.

***

The apartment was dark and lonely when he got there. He knew it was foolish to think that Zack would have returned early, but some part of him had hoped that his friend would be there. He had gotten used to having something with him, something to be with him when he was done with the day, and it had been comforting... but still, there was nothing to be done. He needed to see if Rufus had found the files with all of the information, and he needed to rest.

There was also the fact that he didn't think he could go to Reno's favorite bar, too, but he didn't think about that one too hard.

His shower was relaxing, and he went to bed without eating. He wasn't hungry, only cold, and for some reason no matter how well he bundled up in the blankets, he couldn't fend the chill off.

"Insomnia?"

He startled at the sound of that voice, only to feel a hand come around his throat, lifting him from the sheets and hurling him across the room. He hit the wall with a grunt and immediately crouched into a protective stance, his eyes going to the bed to see another figure crouched on the edge, watching him with glowing eyes.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I could ask you the same. It would be interesting to hear your answer."

Cloud darted for the case that held all of his swords, but before he reached it he was tackled from behind. The weight left his back immediately after they hit the ground, and he had just enough time to get up onto his knees and try to pick himself up off the floor, but a hand clenched into his hair tightly. Cloud gasped and struggled to get up off his knees, but a foot came down hard against the back of his left leg and he cried out as his hair was jerked backwards, up, and suddenly he could feel his long tail being wrapped around his neck. With a gag, his hands rose immediately to try to pull the thick rope of his hair away, but another jerk and he heard a familiar voice say, "Still so stubborn... You never learn, do you?"

His fingers tried to find a hold around his hair, but as he struggled to breathe the voice continued, casual.

"If you remembered to take your medicine like you're supposed to, this wouldn't have to happen."

Cloud's fingers finally managed to get a hold around some of his hair, and given a chance to gulp for air his other hand searched around his waistband until he found what he was looking for. Turning his head just enough to glare backwards, he pulled out the small dagger and thrust it behind him, straight into his attacker's thigh. His neck felt immediate release as his attacker staggered backwards, and Cloud scrambled to get up on his feet. He managed to do it, and turned, saw the man staring at him with Mako eyes, hazel, a haze of green.

"That wasn't very nice of you, specimen." A gloved hand jerked the dagger free from his thigh, then stared at the Mako-riddled blood that covered its blade. "Interesting. I felt that one a little. Did you use a special blade? Ah, yes... special, indeed."

"Get out," Cloud panted, trying to fight down the panic in his voice, in his mind. "Just get the hell out!"

"What's the matter? Thought that you were free?"

"No, you're not real...!"

A grin on the otherwise vague face, and Cloud immediately shrunk back from that grin, flinched away from it. "Ah," the man said, "so that's what it is. I'm glad to see that it's lasted so long, even if you have been a naughty specimen. In that case..." He flipped the dagger around and threw it; Cloud darted to one side, but the crash of the blade into his sword case caused him to stagger, his head turning and staring as the glass--

 _So many tiny particles, like snow, like your snow..._

\--shattered--

 _The way the glass screams, like your scream..._

\--and fell, catching every shred of light and ripping it into shards, the sight and sound of it enough to make him scream, but then he was knocked to the ground, the hair around his neck pulled tight, and he couldn't even struggle because he was still staring, still staring at the broken glass, oblivious to the needle as it pierced his skin.

 _You are so cold..._


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't her fault that he wasn't enjoying himself. He told himself this again and again against the headache, and when she asked him if he was all right he thought about telling her that he felt as though fingers were raking all over his brain, digging in, scraping, scratching... but he didn't, only squeezed her hand and put on his sheepish smile.

"I want you to have a good time too," Tifa said, smiling back. There was a tiredness in her eyes, and without thinking he raised a hand and touched the side of her face, felt the smallest of lines at the corner of her eyes. Her smile grew softer, and she held up her cotton candy. "Go on, have some of it. I dragged you out here, you know? It wouldn't be right if you didn't have fun, too."

"No more of the fast rides?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Right!"

And they went off again, passing the cotton candy between them until there was nothing left, wandering past crowds of children and teens who walked arm-in-arm. Older couples walked closely together, closer than they did, and Cloud watched it all, the whirl of colors and sweet smells and loud sounds lingering behind his eyes, behind his ears, heavy on his tongue. It was all very familiar, and when he felt Tifa's fingers lace through his again, he couldn't help but think of a different hand...

 _Did we do something like this once, Zack?_

The thought made him relax; the tearing in his head subsided and there was only the dull ache that always followed. They wound around another crowd of kids--many of which stopped and stared when they noticed the bright glow behind Cloud's eyes--and found themselves at the other end of the carnival, looking at the last attraction.

It was a funhouse, or, more precisely, a mirrorhouse. Cloud frowned when he saw what it was, and Tifa noticed his pause. She looked back at him, brow wrinkling.

"Cloud?"

"Tifa..." He shook his head, freed his hand from hers to rub at his temples. The dull ache, the tearing pain... both were gone, and the pulsing blankness left behind... he couldn't remember feeling before. It frightened him. "Tifa, I don't..."

"You want to head back into town?" she asked. "Kalm's not too far away, and I..." She stopped when Cloud shook his head, and he wondered if the nothingness was supposed to feel so heavy.

"It's all right." The words passed through his lips and he wondered at them, too, surprised to feel himself smiling. "I can handle something like this."

Tifa's face brightened, and with a small laugh she took both of his hands, pulling him on with her. They waited for the group who went in before them to stumble out, and then went inside.

At first, the darkness and quiet inside was calming. Cloud found it a relief after the cacophony outside, and though his eyes adjusted quickly, he relished the moments of blurriness before he could see the mirrors. There they were, thousands of Clouds and Tifas wandering by, meeting their own eyes and quickly glancing away. Cloud kept finding himself distracted by the smile he saw on his face; why was he smiling? Slowly, the numbness in his mind began to fade, and he stopped trading soft replies for Tifa's banter, and they were far into the maze before she finally stopped, looking about them in confusion.

"This is strange," she muttered. "They aren't usually this difficult, right?" She looked back at him, and he looked back at her, the smile finally gone.

"Tifa, I don't like this." It was one of the first real things he had said all evening, and it was then that they heard a distinct sparking sound. The dim lights flickered, and Tifa started, backing into him by accident. Cloud's hands settled around her shoulders by instinct, but his eyes were staring at the mirrors directly across from them. The lights flickered again, and instead of himself and Tifa he saw another familiar shape staring at them impassively, but that was gone the moment the lights returned to normal.

His breath caught.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, shakily. "Cloud, what's going on? Why are you looking at the mirror like that?"

He couldn't answer. He only continued staring, his fingers trembling as the lights flickered one more time and went out.

Tifa gasped, and he did not hear her. He could only see the green eyes staring at him, the green eyes that narrowed. A voice other than his own or Tifa's scraped against his mind, commanding, cutting into him, and a sudden fear clenched so tightly around him that he--

The mirrors. The mirrors reminded him of the cold, reminded him of the pillars and walls of ice that had surrounded the crater, and within the crater, where _he_ had been waiting for him, and he had gone over willingly, so willingly, just like a puppet, just like _his_ puppet--

The smile in the mirror twisted into a sneer and he thought he felt it hook into him before the screaming began.

***

Cloud woke up to hear sirens wailing. He felt nothing but dull pain all over, and his hands burned. He cracked open his eyes, but his vision was blurry as though his eyes were overstrained, the Mako burning... making them wet. He blinked and squinted, and saw that, yes, he was lying on the floor, and there, on her back, was Tifa. He couldn't help but think how pretty she looked, with her hair spread around her, and how beautiful dark red looked against her pale skin--and stopped, blinking as the thought settled into his hurting head, and he remembered that she hadn't been wearing red.

Vibrations, and the crunching sound of glass--snow?--beneath heavy footsteps approaching. Voices called out their names, and his fingers clutched loosely the handle of his dagger, absently watching the steam rising from the blade.

***

The bar was called Seventh Heaven, and given how classy and well-kept it was, Zack decided he really shouldn't have been so surprised to find it where it was in Upper Junon... or the fact that the head cook, bartender, and owner of the bar was none other than Tifa. It also explained one of the reasons why Cloud didn't want to join him, and, according to Reno, why the food was so good.

Once they had gotten in and Zack had absorbed the atmosphere--a live band was playing jazz in one corner, the lights were dim, there was a separate section for smokers which opened to an outside porch, the tables were almost all full--they had made their way to the two empty seats of the bar, which happened to be at the corner where the bar met the wall. Reno was just lighting up when a hand came from nowhere and snatched the cigarette away.

"Reno," Tifa said with some disgust, tossing the cigarette into the trash, "you know you're not allowed to smoke over here. Take it outside."

"Aww, c'mon, Teef, you know I'm your favorite customer."

"I only have one favorite customer," Tifa said, crossing her arms. She then looked at Zack, her stern expression slipping a bit--obviously surprised to see him there. "Out of everyone, I have to say I would never have expected to see you come in with Reno."

Reno threw an arm around Zack's shoulders, grinning. "Old drinking buddies. So, let's skip the small talk and get straight to the booze, huh?"

Tifa rolled her eyes, but smiled and nodded. "Right. I'll have Marie come and take your orders. We'll talk later, all right?"

Before long, a cute brunette who seemed used to taking orders from Reno showed up, but Tifa was as good as her word. As soon as some of the crowd started to wander out and things quieted down--the jazz band replaced with a lone lounge singer--and Reno went to the porch to smoke and flirt with Marie, Tifa joined Zack. She pulled a stool behind the bar to where he was sitting, and with a deep breath sat and took a sip of water.

"Finally got a chance to breathe, huh?" Zack asked.

"Something like that. So. How is he?"

"Tired. He and Vincent went on a mission earlier today."

"You didn't go with them?"

"Cloud asked me to go on a different mission with the Turks."

She smiled, ran a hand through her hair. "Reno does require supervision at all times."

Zack chuckled, looked over his shoulder towards the porch. "I'd say so. Looks like he might get a broken arm if he doesn't leave that one alone."

"Marie will be fine," Tifa said, "and she and Reno do it mostly out of fun, I think, these days. But, Cloud and Vincent were on a mission as well?"

"Uh-huh. I'd tell you all about it, but not here."

She nodded. "It's all right. And at least it would have made Vincent happy." It was added as an afterthought, as she sipped some more of her water, but something about her words...

"Happy? Just to go on a mission?"

"Well, to go on a mission with Cloud." Tifa blinked at him, then shook her head. "You only had one of my drinks, and it wasn't that alcoholic. Surely you've got some idea? Well, you and Cloud were together a lot before Nibelheim, right?"

"I was about the only friend in Midgar he had, yeah. Why?"

"Think about it. You've met Vincent. He's reliable, honest mostly, trustworthy... and he looks a hell of a lot like you." She looked down at her glass, running her thumb along a line of condensation. "I think he probably found Vincent familiar when we first met him, even if he hadn't been able to figure out just who Vincent reminded him of."

Zack blinked. He had only seen Vincent in his dark uniform, the one of the Turks, his hair pulled back, his face somber... "Vincent and I look alike?"

The young woman shrugged again. "Back then especially. I mean, I imagine it was the hair. But whatever it was, even though at first it certainly wasn't apparent... it's become easier to see the friendship between them."

He was certain his concern didn't show, but he still took another sip of water and forced himself to relax. "I had gathered that he and Vincent were good friends, but... I just wasn't certain."

She looked at him knowingly. "I don't pretend to know Cloud's thoughts and feelings anymore, Zack. I don't have that right. So I can't tell you that."

He leaned back. "Tifa..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you--"

"Zack, if you could make him happy, then no, I wouldn't care. I'd be happy, even." She looked down at the floor, her fingers tapping against the glass. "I've realized that. I'd be happy, just to be his friend again. To know that he was all right. I want to believe that he'll get out of this, but things lately... they've felt worse. I haven't even seen him at all lately, and I can tell."

"How?"

"Oi!" Reno walked with an amazing amount of steadiness to the bar, though he sat down in his seat heavily. "Looking at you two is gonna make me sober. Who the hell died?"

"Stupid Turk. I think we should go."

"Already? 'S not even closing time yet."

"Actually, it is, Reno," Tifa said, smiling sweetly as she stood. "Zack, can you get him out of here, or do I need to lend you one of carts--"

"I can walk, see!"

"...So yeah, how's that stain on the floor look from that close-up, Turk?"

"Shaddap, Donovan."

***

Zack knocked on the door to Cloud's apartment again, wondering why his friend hadn't answered him. When another minute had gone by, he used the card key Cloud had given him and unlocked the door to the suite, but before he could open it he heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked up with a small grin.

"Hey, Vince--"

"Vincent."

"Whatever. What are you doing in this part of the neighborhood?"

Vincent frowned as he came closer. "The security sensors he's allowed us picked up something strange not long ago. The security team only just managed to notify me so I could get down here."

Ignoring the initial twist of worry in his stomach, Zack looked back down at the door handle, then back up to Vincent. "Shall we?" At Vincent's nod, Zack swung open the door, surprised to see the rooms darkened. "Cloud?" Zack called, and took a few steps inside before his hearing picked up a soft noise from the bedroom. "Shit...!"

Vincent heard it, too, and followed right behind him as they ran to the door, shoving it open. Cloud was curled over on his knees all the way across the room, as far away from the windows and into the darkness as he could be, rocking back and forth and clutching a long rope of gold in his hands, which Zack realized was his hair.

"Cloud?" Zack said, going straight to Cloud's side. Vincent stepped into the room more slowly, his eyes scanning the area, going immediately to the windows and checking them. Cloud flinched at the sound of his name and said nothing, only whimpered and hid his face. Zack, growing more disturbed, stopped when his boots crunched on the floor; looking down at the carpet, he only then realized there was a mess of broken glass on the floor.

"His swords." It was from Vincent, and Zack immediately looked up to see the case broken, before turning his attention back to Cloud. He knelt down beside him, touched his trembling shoulder.

"Cloud?" he said again. "Cloud, it's me, Zack. I'm here."

"Go 'way..." It was a soft gasp, another flinch away from him. "Get out..."

Zack frowned, looking at the jagged cut on the back of Cloud's neck, staring when he realized it was bleeding. "Cloud... What happened?"

"He tried to strangle me..."

"With your hair?" A shudder, a nod, and Zack cursed. "Who was it? Who did this to you?"

"He did... he tried to..."

"But who is he, Cloud?" No answer came, and Zack looked up to see Vincent staring at a dagger stuck straight into the back of the swordcase. The older man glanced down at them before pulling the dagger free, and staring at the blade. He paused, sniffed it, then darted his tongue against the flat of it. Another pause, and he looked down at Zack and shook his head.

"Clean," was all he said, and looked down at the blade more carefully to see if there were any other clues.

"Well, hang on, Cloud," Zack whispered. "I'll get a first aid kit, and we'll get you cleaned up, all right...?" He paused. "Cloud, did you cut your hair?" Another miserable nod. "How... did you cut it?"

"I... I don't remember..."

"Zack. Take care of Cloud." Vincent started walking away, back toward the living room. "I have to make a few calls."

Zack looked up. "Who?"

"Melantha. Reeve, just so he knows. It won't take long, and I'll get the glass off of the floor." Vincent paused, then looked at the dagger he still held in his hand. "This is Cloud's dagger. It was a companion piece for the Masamune." He paused, glanced down at Cloud and shook his head. "I'll tell you more later."

***

It took some time for Zack to coax Cloud to move, and at some point he gave up trying and, since Cloud was barefoot and there was still glass all over, he lifted his old friend and carried him into the bathroom. Once Cloud was set on the edge of the bath, Cloud seemed to be a little more coherent, and Zack managed to pull the length of hair from his fingers. He hesitated before letting it fall into the wastebasket, but then took a washcloth and carefully washed the back of Cloud's neck, before going back out and returning with the first aid kit. The cut was healing on its own quickly, but he still used some antiseptic and carefully put a bandage over the wound. Zack started checking for any other injuries, but Cloud slowly pulled away.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, and kept his eyes on the floor.

Zack did not reply with the obvious response to this, but took a deep breath and sat down beside him. "You can't tell us anything?"

"Tell you about what?"

"Whatever the hell happened."

Cloud raised a hand, ran it long the edge of his shorn hair. "He wanted it long, you know. He always told me he liked it long. That's why I started to grow it out again."

Zack blinked. "What?"

"My hair. I started to grow it out again because he said... he told me... And I liked it, too, when I was younger..." Before Zack could stop him, he pulled away the bandage and dropped it on the floor; it was without a single ruddy stain. Cloud gingerly touched his skin where it had just healed, and then looked at his hand as though he expected the blood to still be there. "I hope he won't be angry with me..."

Zack had the disconcerting feeling that Cloud had not meant for him to hear that, and pretended not to. So he asked, "Is this the same 'he' that attacked you last night?"

Cloud hesitated, dropped his hand. "N-no..."

"How do you know?"

"Didn't have Sephiroth-sama's eyes. Had different eyes. A clone? I don't know. I can't remember. He knows me, though, I know he does, I just don't know how." Cloud sighed, put his face in his hands. "Gods... Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I want to take a shower. Bath. Something."

"Sure thing, kiddo." Zack stood, thought about ruffling Cloud's hair and did it anyway, and was rewarded with a look that was both amused and annoyed. "Hang in there, okay? Vincent will probably have to go back, but I'll stay here."

Cloud nodded. "Thank you."

"Hey, no prob." Zack left Cloud alone in the bathroom, shut the door and saw Vincent looking approvingly over a floor that now seemed clear of broken glass. "Okay, now tell me what's going on."

Vincent walked out of the bedroom, and Zack followed as Vincent led him back to the coffee table outside, where the dagger now rested. Vincent gestured to it.

"Not long after Meteor fell, Cloud went into the ruins of Midgar. He went to the vaults, and came back with a few possessions, most of which I think you'd recognize."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, he gave me the things of mine that he had retrieved."

"Did he tell you what else he found in the vaults?"

"No, and I didn't think it was my place to ask."

"It's probably just as well. He found the vault that held everything that had been in Sephiroth's possession, back when the Commander was still sane. He told me sometime later that the only thing he had found missing from the vault was Sephiroth's Masamune, which made sense because Sephiroth had it with him whenever we encountered him during our travels. I didn't realize at the time that Cloud would have a reason to know what should be located in the vault... and none of us thought anything about it, or about the fact that he had brought a dagger with him."

"So none of you thought that the dagger had anything to do with Sephiroth."

"Precisely. It wasn't until much later, after the incident with Tifa, that we realized what the dagger was. When we did, we confiscated it, and had it placed in a vault here in Junon that Cloud was not supposed to know about, nor have the permission to access it..."

Zack looked down at the dagger again, this time with more caution. "So how...?"

"That's what I want to know. Even worse, it apparently has the same properties of its companion blade."

"In other words, blood can't dry on it because the blade incinerates it."

"Yes. I checked where it had been imbedded into the wood. It was charred."

"Okay." He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair. "This is just fucking creepy."

"It gets worse."

"How?"

"They checked the vault. Masamune is missing, as well."

"...Shit."

"I'm going to go back to the Shinra Building, and go over any recordings of the disturbances that the security team picked up. I think, sometime tomorrow, you should pay me a visit there."

"You're not going to get any rest before then?"

"I won't need to. Just please see to Cloud, and don't leave his side if you can help it."

***

Vincent had not been gone long before Zack noticed that the water had stopped running. Wondering, he picked up the dagger, looking at its edge and carefully feeling the handle for any signs of hidden materia. He found none, and looked up when Cloud appeared in the doorway, still towelling off his hair.

"Za-kun?" Cloud said quietly, his eyes on the dagger. "What...?"

"Yeah?" Zack looked down at the blade again, then grinned. "It's a good blade. You can tell it belonged with Masamune."

"Mm." Cloud came closer, hanging his towel around his neck before sitting down beside his old friend on the couch. Sighing heavily, he held out his hand. Zack handed it over without hesitating, knowing that to show any of his unease at handing the weapon back to someone who wasn't supposed to have known where it was in the first place... well, he imagined it wouldn't be good, and Cloud would pick up on it anyway. Cloud could be oblivious about some things, but others...

"When I first found it in the vaults beneath Midgar, I didn't realize... I mean, I knew it belonged to Sephiroth, but I didn't think..." Cloud stopped, sighed again and put it down on the table, his hand shaking slightly before he tucked it away in the sleeve of his bathrobe. "So? Did you and Vincent find out anything?"

"Vincent told me that the apartment's perfectly locked up and safe, just as we left it this morning, meaning that our attacker has a way of completely bypassing our security." He tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Other than that, nothing. We really have nothing to go from."

"You do."

"Hmm?"

Cloud had taken to staring down; Zack could tell from the corner of his eyes. "You know what I mean. Sephiroth."

"Yes, but there's no way to prove that, now is there? 'Sides, you know neither of us are going to just blab to the others about it. Do you really think they'd believe us?"

Cloud shook his head, then mumbled, "But what about you?"

"Hell, kiddo, I don't know what I believe. What I'm supposed to believe. At the moment, I just know that anything... anything's possible. I mean, I was dead, or at least we think I was. But I dunno, seeing as to how I'm here now."

"Mm." He was surprised when he suddenly felt a familiar weight settle against his side, a familiar head of hair in the crook of his shoulder. "Maybe you didn't. Maybe he didn't, either."

"We'll figure it out. The important thing is that you take care of yourself."

"Not so good at that..."

"Well, you will be. It'll turn out okay, trust me."

"...Zack?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"If I... if they ever try to take me in again... like they did the last time..."

He looked down with some alarm, but Cloud suddenly stiffened against him, sensing the movement. After a few moments of silence, he relaxed again.

"Never mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

***

Despite how uneasy Zack felt about the idea of Cloud going in to work after having gotten so little sleep, Cloud insisted on waking up and going on as if nothing had happened. Worried about arguing about it too much when he knew they needed sleep, he let it go, held Cloud close to him and tried to sleep even though his eyes wanted to watch the windows for suspicious shadows, wanted to keep an eye out for a familiar smile, familiar eyes in the dark...

But no assassins or shades or monsters came in the middle of the night, and even as worried as he was Zack fell asleep. He woke the next morning from a strange dream, one he couldn't remember much of except for a black square, took a shower and found Cloud already dressed in his uniform with a cup of coffee prepared for him.

They left on time, arrived at the Shinra Building on time, and went up to Cloud's office to find a report on the underwater reactor. Cloud skimmed over it, gladly told Zack that it seemed the dismantling of the control panels and the destruction of the eggs was completed without any further problems.

"Do you think there are anymore places like that?" Zack asked, and Cloud shrugged.

"There's no way to know for certain, but... if nothing else, it's a start, right?"

"Yeah." Zack was thinking about talking to Reeve and Vincent about what happened the night before, and while he attempted to come up with an excuse, Cloud sifting through various reports, the phone rang. Cloud picked it up, mumbled a greeting, nodded and gave an affirmative before hanging up and looking up at Zack.

"Vincent said he had something he wanted to show you. He said he'd meet you outside the elevators on A Block."

Zack blinked. "Does anything go by that guy unnoticed?"

Chuckling, Cloud turned back to the reports on his desk. "Very little. Now get going. I'll be fine, if bored."

"Righto, be back in a bit, kid."

***

Zack hadn't been gone long, but the office became colder when he left. Cloud ignored it, listened instead as the rain finally started to fall, hitting the window panes harder than usual. He glanced up at it, went back to reading over the report, but all he saw were a couple of letters, over and over again, spelling the same word...

R E U N I O N

He shook his head, but his panic was buried beneath the cold of the room, and he swallowed and thought to just sign it off and then go on a walk or go to the courtyard or the gyms, just to get out of the rooms, but instead of signing his name, his hand was directed differently... And he stared at the name, recognizing the signature as well as he would have recognized his own.

Cloud shut his eyes, not wanting to see the hand that he could feel resting so heavy on top of his own, not wanting to admit that even he knew that it was there. A soft laugh, however, right into his ear caused him to tense, all of his hairs standing up on end when a familiar voice whispered his name.

"No," and it was a weak denial, token and only defense against what was to come. He knew it, he always did. "Not real."

"Am I...? Or are you?" Another soft laugh, and the pen was taken from his hand, put back into its correct section of the desk stationary. Cloud clenched his hand just as he clenched his eyes, but even though he shut out the visual, he could not keep out the rest of the sensations, the gloved hand moving back over his own, the way the fingers stroked soothingly against his own pale skin until his hand betrayed him, unfolding. The fingers roved slowly up his arm, sliding against his own leather sleeves, until they met his shoulder. At that point, he felt the overpowering presence behind him stand straight, and then both hands slid up his shoulders and up his neck, tilting his head back as they framed his face, fingers curled about his cheeks, palms pressed lightly against his temples. "So easy, to bare your neck..." Cloud shivered, felt long silver hair drape over him, over them, a curtain to hide a multitude of sins, starting at the curves of his throat and moving up, up, until he licked his own lips and felt them covered by another's mouth. When those lips pulled away, he could hear the familiar smile as the other commanded, "Open your eyes."

He did, saw the brilliant green eyes, as expected, saw the high cheekbones and the hungry smile, and wondered if Sephiroth would just kill him there, then, bite into his throat and leave him there bleeding. He wondered at his own lack of concern at that thought, wondered why he wasn't screaming, why he couldn't scream; it was lodged in the back of his throat.

The intercom device on his desk buzzed, and his secretary's voice came on, completely ordinary. "Commander Strife, sir, Cid Highwind's here to see you. Should I send him in, sir?"

Sephiroth's smile remained, and he leaned down and Cloud closed his eyes, waiting. He heard.

The clock on the corner of his desk ticked. One second, two. Cloud, eyes still closed, said clearly, "Send him in."

"Yes, sir."

Cloud looked back at his desk, casually slid his glove over his right hand and looked up just as the door slid open.

***

Vincent had led Zack to one of the video surveillance rooms in A Block, a room in what was clearly Vincent's domain of A Block; though Rufus's office was located just down the hall, all of the security offices as well as the Turks' offices and armory were located on this end of the hall, and Vincent's office itself was unmarked, though the man made the point to inform Zack of its location, "in case you need to find me."

"They finally arrived," Vincent murmured, walking to the other side of the small room. Zack couldn't help but feel somewhat claustrophobic in it--it wasn't much more than a closet, what with how much room was taken up by banks of screens and a control terminal. Still, Vincent turned and handed Zack a VHS. "It's taken me quite some time to get access to that."

"What is it?"

"One of the video surveillance recordings of Cloud at the mental institution. There's something on that tape I want to show you, something that I think would interest you."

Zack looked at the tape skeptically, before shrugging and putting it into the nearest VCR. He sat down across from the screen, waiting for the VCR to begin. Vincent stood behind his chair, watching the screen impassively as the footage began to play. The footage opened with a burst of static, into a cell. The lighting seemed strange, but Zack ignored it as his eyes focused on the figure standing in the middle of the cell, dressed in a simple grey shirt and loose grey pants, staring up towards the single window. He wavered on his feet, swayed so slightly that Zack wouldn't have picked it up if he wasn't so focused upon that figure.

The screen blipped, and showed the figure again, staring up at the window. It was clearly a different time of night; the patch of white against the dark walls of the cell had moved lower against the wall. Vincent shifted, and said, "Here it comes. This is what I wanted to show you."

Zack concentrated harder on the screen, waiting for it. The figure on the screen had stopped swaying, and turned away from the window, looking instead at the corner in which the camera was stationed, and therefore the corner that could not be seen entirely. Zack watched as the figure took a few halting steps toward the corner, stopped and looked up at the camera.

A short burst of static. Then the figure, once again staring up at the window. Zack frowned, looked back up at Vincent.

"It didn't just... switch. Like it did last time. Is that what you wanted to show me?"

"That's part of it." Vincent rewound the tape to the point where the cell's lone occupant had turned toward the corner, and then stopped it. He shifted the screen's contrast and brightness, until the monochrome had become so stark that it was impossible to ignore the black shadow surrounding the figure, nor the pair of bright eyes that stared out from that black shadow, straight at the camera.

Zack's eyes widened. "How the hell did you...?"

Vincent returned the television's settings to normal, and pointed at the screen, tracing the faint outline of a shadow with his finger. "It's there, but you wouldn't notice it normally. Also, there's a distortion in the image itself here..." He outlined another shape outside of the shadow. "Again, almost imperceptible. And then--" Before he could continue, a harsh ring came from his side. Vincent frowned in annoyance, and picked up his PHS unit. "What?"

Zack peered closer at the screen, trying to see more of the distortion and outline. It was definitely there, all right, though he wondered just how precise Vincent's eyesight could be to make out such strange details without a problem. He thought he saw something else, but Vincent's curse dragged his eyes away from the screen and back to Vincent himself.

"I want a lockdown of his office, contact Reno and Rude immediately and tell them to meet there in the front, have two medic teams there--yes, two, one for Captain Highwind and one for any other casualties--just do it," he snapped, and jerked his head to the door. "It's happened."

"What the hell's happened?" Zack muttered, jumping up and following Vincent as they sped out of the small office. Lights in the building dimmed red and a voice came on over the intercom, announcing the lockdown of C Block and the evacuation of all personnel from that sector. Vincent glanced at Zack as they ran, taking a sudden turn down one of the corridors.

"From what we can tell, Cloud attacked Cid."


	8. Chapter 8

They reached the main lobby of C Block only to find that the entire level had been locked down. The Turks were standing beside the metal barrier that blocked the hallway down towards Cloud's office, while several troops were being organized by a Soldier and Cid, surrounded by the medic teams, was cursing loudly.

"Get that--shit that hurts, you--!" Cid happened to catch sight of Vincent and Zack and shouted at them, causing some of the medics to stand back and look up at them. "Vincent! What the hell's goin' on?!"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Vincent said, coming closer. A sharp screech came from the other side of the metal barrier, and some of the medics and several of the troopers jumped. "What happened?"

"Cloud started acting all weird," Cid muttered, waving one of the medics away and sitting up on the gurney. He scowled as he rubbed his neatly bandaged arm, and snatched his pack of cigarettes away from another medic. "Not batshit weird, just... y'know, that look he always got when he wasn't completely weird, just--ah, hell, you know what I mean. Anyway," and he stuck one of the unlit cigarettes in his mouth, "I started getting worried, asked him if I needed to go, and all of a sudden he looks at me and just comes straight at me, and I tried to fight him off but he picked me up and chucked me out of his office. I hit the wall, he was screaming about getting up and running, and next thing I know everyone in the hallways's screaming and there's weird things comin' outta nowhere. I don't know what the friggin' hell's going on, but last look I got of Cloud before the lockdown, he was running for his sword and there was something in the office too."

Reno idly scratched his chin and said loudly above the next screech, "I dunno, Valentine, but whatever we do I think we oughta do it fast. The kid can't be holding up too good in there."

Another intercom message suddenly blared from all the nearby speakers, so sudden that it caused everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Warning. A fire has been detected within the central security offices in Block A. All personnel except for registered fire prevention squads are to evacuate Block A at once."

"The central security offices?" Zack said, looking to Vincent in disbelief. "The video?"

The older man cursed, and turned back to the metal barrier. "Right, we have to move in before anything else happens." He turned to the Soldier. "Contact a squad of Soldiers and have them up here immediately, and have the troopers protect the medics in case anything comes out, including any survivors." He moved to the side of the metal barrier, activating a control pad nearby the blocked doorway. "Ready?" When the others nodded, Vincent entered the code appropriate to remove the barrier temporarily. The small group dashed just inside before the metal barrier slammed secure again, and stopped just as suddenly when they found themselves staring at a large group of arachnid-like monsters, one of which speared a sharp leg through a human body.

As one, the giant spiders turned to face them, mandibles clacking threateningly as their eyes shifted from green to red.

"Goddamn bugs," Reno muttered, twirling his nightstick and drawing his revolver. "I friggin' hate spiders."

"We'll head to the office, first," Vincent ordered. "If we can tell there's someone else still alive, we'll help them, but we cannot allow them to get to Cloud. Move out!"

***

The spiders weren't alone in the corridors, but neither were the civilians--at one of the intersections they heard gunshots going off, frantic screams for help, and Rude took off in that direction. Reno cursed but followed his taller friend, and that left Vincent and Zack to carve their way through the remaining monsters in their way, which now included a combination of serpent and wyrm.

"Where the hell did these come from?!" Zack shouted, cleaving another spider in half while Vincent picked off another one of the basilisk-like creatures.

"I'm beginning to think that the submarine dock wasn't the only breeding ground for monsters," Vincent said, taking a brief pause to reload the Death Penalty. They had a few spare moments to breathe, but they could hear another group of monsters coming their way. "This is taking too long. I'll hold them off here. The office isn't too far from here--you go ahead."

He nodded and took off down the hall at a sprint, calling over his shoulder. "Be careful, Vincent!" He never heard a reply, only the next gunshot and a shriek as the first monster fell. He skid to a halt in front of Cloud's office, felt the floor vibrating beneath his feet and heard a low roar coming from the other side of the metal door.

"Shit, the lockdown... Vincent didn't tell me how to bypass it..." Zack readied his Buster Sword, took a deep breath, and concentrated on using the blade as a battering ram. His first attempt only caused the door to shudder, and so he tried again, and again, and finally on the fourth try rammed into the door with enough force to punch it out of the doorway.

Zack burst into Cloud's office, the metal door slamming into the floor with a crash. Across the room was a much larger creature than the monsters outside, a mixture of serpent and spider, a dragon with an arachnid's exoskeleton, spinning a web between two of its back legs and waving the front two at the smaller figure of Cloud Strife. Cloud stood with his back to the wall, not far from the broken windows, Ultima Weapon held before him, but his skin was pale and he was breathing heavily.

Before the creature could advance any further, Zack cursed, screamed to catch the monster's attention, charged and ploughed into it with his Buster Sword. The creature shrieked as he plunged the blade past its shell, ignoring the blood that burst from its wound to follow up his attack. He raised the blade just in time to fend off an anxious thrust from one of its legs, but even as its head turned to concentrate on him, Cloud attacked it from behind. Together they took it down, Cloud running up its back to thrust the Ultima Weapon through its neck while Zack sliced a hole through its underbelly. Its many spindly legs could no longer hold it aloft, and with another shriek it crashed onto the floor, smashing the remains of Cloud's desk. Cloud cleaved off its head so that it stopped thrashing.

Zack took a deep breath, and his eyes met Cloud's as the gigantic body shuddered. The blond suddenly clutched at his chest and staggered. "Cloud...!" He ran, but Cloud fell before he reached him, and with another curse Zack dropped the Buster Sword and picked up his younger friend. "Hang in there, buddy..."

Cloud curled up on himself, hiding his face with his hands, his voice muffled. "I stopped, I stopped, I wasn't going to, and then... he's still, he's still..."

"Shh, it's okay," Zack whispered. He could hear footsteps approaching, but before anyone reached the doorway, Cloud fell completely unconscious. Zack shifted his hold on his friend, and looked up again to see Vincent come in, glancing quickly at the carnage and the carcass.

"It was after him... just like the hydra." Vincent started to say something, but reconsidered it and shook his head. "Take him to Melantha's lab. He can rest there."

Zack shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. He won't like waking up in a lab."

"The lobby then. Melantha should be there by now with the medics." Vincent headed back to the door. "I'll cover you, and Reno should be right down the hall. We think there may be a few of the smaller ones left."

"Right..." He nodded, stood, carrying Cloud in his arms and waiting for Vincent to give him the okay before starting down the hallway.

"...roth..."

It was a quiet mumble, but Zack didn't stop to think about it. He only concentrated on avoiding the dead bodies littering the hallway, the puddles of black blood. Reno shouted out his name as he reached an intersection, and he moved faster then with Reno leading the way, able to follow the Turk's certain footsteps to avoid any unsafe areas. They got back to the lobby, and Zack was surprised to see far more people there than when he had left--more Soldiers were moving out in small squads led by First Classes, Rufus stood nearby with his shotgun at the ready, and the medics were working on troopers and civilians alike.

"Donovan," the copresident said, walking swiftly toward him. He glanced down at Cloud, then looked over to the medics. "Melantha!"

The doctor hurried over with Reeve and Cid, her brow wrinkling with greater worry when she saw Cloud. Immediately she called for a gurney, and Zack placed his friend's still body on it, watching the way Cloud curled up more tightly on the clean padding.

"Sir," Melantha murmured, looking up at Reeve. "For the Commander's sake, it might be best if you leave, just in case he were to wake up--"

"Reeve's fine," Zack said, "but we need to get Cloud out of here."

"The labs--"

"Will just cause him to panic if he wakes up in them," he interrupted her. "He needs someplace different--his apartment--"

"Too far," Melantha said with a sharp shake of her head.

"If you wouldn't mind me cutting in," Rufus said, shouldering his shotgun, "most of A Block was untouched by that fire. There's the special... guest suite."

"The holding cell?" said Reeve, and before Cid could break in he nodded. "It has medical equipment, so it should be fine."

"Donovan, get Strife. You're faster than that gurney." Rufus looked to Melantha. "I suggest you assign the rest of your team and then follow us as soon as you can. Is that all right, Reeve?"

The other copresident sighed heavily. "You know A Block better than I do, and someone needs to stay here and keep an eye over things. Get going."

Cid snorted. "If anything else comes outta there, we'll take care of 'em. Now get that kid someplace safe!"

***

They were riding the elevator down to A Block when Cloud mumbled again in Zack's arms, his breath against Zack's shirt losing warmth. "...roth-sama...mm..." Zack murmured a comfort he wasn't certain Cloud could hear, and glanced up to see Rufus leaning against the elevator's glass wall, watching them impassively.

"Don't worry, Donovan," Rufus said, stepping forward as the elevator finally came to a stop. "I couldn't hear."

Zack didn't believe that at all, but followed Rufus as the copresident moved swiftly down the corridors, not quite at a run but fast enough. There were still personnel moving to the area of A Block that had caught fire, but Rufus led him down the other direction, closer to his office, before finally stopping in front of an unmarked room. He went through the standard security procedure with a keycard and passcode, and the door opened up into a room that could have been a high-quality bedroom at any of the inns in Junon. Zack didn't take the time to gawk, just carried Cloud to the bed and set him down. Cloud took to the mattress and comforters much better than he had the gurney, uncurling just a little, and Zack set to removing Cloud's boots and armor.

While he did that, Rufus moved to the nightstand and slid it to the side, revealing a terminal of health equipment that rolled out from the wall automatically.

"I'll leave this for Melantha," he said, "and I'll wait for her outside so she can get in." He paused, lingering at the door. "And don't worry, Donovan. If it comes down to it, I'll authorize access to the materia, if that's the only thing that will help him."

Zack blinked at those unexpected words, but Rufus was gone, and the next time the door opened it admitted Melantha. She carried a small case in her hands, which she set on top of the terminal.

"How's it going?" he asked, and she took a deep breath.

"They think they've taken care of the monsters, and I've a team up there helping to dispose of the bodies," she murmured. "Please, give me some room so I can get the monitor prepared." She opened up the case, revealing several vials and a syringe, and as Zack stood he winced at the sight of them.

"Doc--"

"I know, but we need more than ever to get a blood sample, see if it can tell us anything," she murmured, swabbing one of Cloud's arms. The blond didn't even react, even when she did insert the needle, and the doctor's lips spread into a thin line as she watched his face. "It's coming too slow..." The moment half the vial was filled, she removed the syringe and began taking measurements, shining a light into his eyes, taking his pulse, setting up the health monitors. "I can't say... it's definitely not toxin, but the effects from fighting off something similar..."

"He told me that one of the monsters in the underwater reactor specifically targeted him, and he and Vincent thought that that was why he had suddenly fallen unconscious. You think it's something similar?"

"I think," she whispered, "there's nothing I--we can do but wait it out. It's not meant to kill him, whatever it is."

"You sure?" Zack asked.

Melantha nodded. "We would have known by now if it was." She stood. "Just hit the emergency button on the health monitor if anything, and I mean anything, happens. I'll be speaking to you all shortly about that pill you gave me."

He mumbled an affirmative, got comfortable in a chair beside the bed as she left. He watched Cloud sleep, the half-naked blond turning over onto his side, hands tucked close beside his head. "Some things about you never change, kiddo," he said, finally relaxing for the first time since he had come back to Cloud's apartment the evening before.

It was as his own eyes began to drift closed that he began to notice a looming patch of shadows from one of the corners moving, no longer just shadows but an actual shape, folds of leather hanging about a tall body. The green eyes glanced in his direction but concentrated on the sleeping warrior on the bed. Something in the back of Zack's brain screamed at him, shouted that this was wrong, he had to move, but the green eyes rose to meet his own, and a small smile turned up those lips even as a gloved finger rose to them, indicating silence. He nodded, sleepy, and just watched as the other man moved to Cloud's bedside, bent down, one hand reaching to stroke the blond hair. The green eyes narrowed with pleasure as the same hand brushed along Cloud's cheek, and then those grinning lips touched the pale skin--

Zack blinked as the door opened, surprised he no longer saw someone in the room with him, and twisted around in the chair as Vincent stepped in.

"I'll stay with him for awhile," Vincent said. "Get something to eat, maybe some sleep. You look tired."

He would have argued, but Vincent was right--he thought he must have been asleep earlier, and had dreamed a strange... something. He stood up, ready to go as Vincent took his place in the chair.

"Any news from...?"

"Yes. We'll let you know when Cloud wakes up."

***

Cloud woke to find himself in a room he didn't find immediately familiar, noticed a strange throb on one of his hands and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He didn't want to move; he felt too groggy, and everything seemed to be sliding around... Eventually, though, he made out the comforting weight encompassing one of his hands, blinked and saw the long dark hair... He smiled, his hand twitched, and he could finally make out Zack, sitting beside the bed, head pillowed on his arm on the mattress.

"That can't be very comfortable, Za-kun," Cloud murmured, and squeezed his friend's hand with more confidence.

Zack grumbled, but rubbed at his eyes and sat up, grimacing. "Ow."

"I was right."

His old friend looked down at him, grinning sleepily. "Hey, you finally woke up." He leaned back to check the monitors. "And you're all better! According to these things, anyway."

"You know... how to read those?"

Zack chuckled at the doubtful tone of his voice. "Yeah, Melantha told me what to watch for. She's not so bad, for a scientist."

Cloud raised his other hand, stared at the strange wire taped to the back of it. "Take it off...?"

"Sure thing." Zack did, and the tape came away easily, along with the wire. Cloud rubbed his hand where the wire had been, and watched as Zack shut down the health monitors so that the flatline noise cut off. "Well, they said you're all right, but how do you feel?"

"Tired." Cloud blinked. "Zack... Did...?"

"Cid got out okay. Some of the civilians and troopers... weren't as lucky." Zack paused. "Cloud, before you went unconscious... you said something, about stopping..."

His young friend turned onto his back to look up at the ceiling. "He wanted me to hurt Cid. But I stopped. And that's when the monsters appeared."

"He did?" Zack watched Cloud's face, his eyes, carefully. "He told you? I mean, he was in the room?"

Cloud nodded. "Zack... I don't think you should leave me alone so much anymore. Please?"

"Sure. Just..." He stopped himself, then stood up. "Melantha wanted to tell us about what she discovered about the drug. Do you think you can come, or should we just go back to the apartment--better yet, the cabin--and just screw the rest?"

He was surprised when Cloud actually seemed to consider it, then shook his head and sat up. "Can't do that. We need to know, anyway."

"Everyone will be there..." Zack helped his friend to his feet, handed him a new change of clothes. "Sorry about that, but we didn't think you'd want to wear the uniform from earlier... Monster guts, you know." Zack stuck his hands in his pockets and watched as Cloud changed. "But, will you be okay? I mean, everyone..."

Cloud zipped up the top of his uniform, and nodded. "We've been through something like this before. It'll be okay. Call ahead and let them know we're ready."

***

The sun was setting on their way to the conference room where they were to sit with the others and listen to the doctor. Cloud was surprised and seemed embarrassed that he had been out for so long, but Zack reassured him as they went to the elevators. Reno met them inside the elevator, grinning, "Going up?" But the Turk kept blessedly silent as they went up to the floor with the conference room, and Zack was surprised to see so many Soldiers standing guard on this level when there had been relatively few before. But then, he thought he knew the reason, and it was the shorter man walking close by his side.

The conference room was a lot less ornate than Zack expected, but even without the expensive decorative flourishes, the room was respectable. He didn't have time to gawk, however; everyone else was there, and though he couldn't see everyone as the lights were dimmed, he definitely made out Reeve sitting at one end of the table and Rufus at the other, and Cloud took a seat in the middle, across from Vincent. Noticing an empty chair to Cloud's right, he made certain that it had been set aside for him before sitting down in it, and noticed that Cloud made a pointed effort to not look at anyone else in the room. He was staring at the computer terminal set into the conference table in front of him; every seat had one of those terminals, and Zack glanced at his. There was nothing on it yet except the Shinra logo.

"Everyone, we're going to try to keep this as brief as possible," Reeve said. "As you all read in the briefings before the meeting, the appearance of the monsters alongside these Sephiroth clones may also have a connection to a new drug that hit the streets recently. Dr. Melantha has been analyzing the drug, and informed us earlier that she had managed to determine its origins. Doctor...?"

Melantha stood beside Reeve, and she looked more tired than Zack had ever seen her. She rubbed at her eyes and picked up a clipboard before taking a deep breath and starting. "As it should be coming up on your monitors... The drug does seem to be a highly effective hallucinogen. It does have several side effects... It acts not only as a hallucinogenic, but a tranquilizer, and an immunosupressant. In the small dose the Turks managed to capture for us, the drug is not immediately dangerous... In fact, it's possible that if one were to recreate the drug and it were more carefully handled, it could even be used successfully as medicine. I'm not certain, however; there was only so much I could do with the single dose we received." She paused, and the image on their monitors changed from simple text to the chemical structure. "This is oasis on the molecular level. It's highly complex, and its base--the organic material it's derived from--is a plant known as the evening sun. The plant is indigenous to Wutai, and for a time it was cultivated... My guess is that the Wutanese knew of its medicinal possibilities and used it for such. And then the plant was systematically destroyed, every farm of it was razed, until the only specimens of the plant left were those in the wild."

Zack looked up from the new image on the monitor--an aged photograph of the evening sun, apparently scanned straight from a scientific textbook--and noticed that Rufus was looking right past him at Cloud; the copresident met Zack's eyes briefly and then looked to Melantha.

"So there's no proof currently that oasis is connected to the appearances of the monsters?" he asked.

"Not yet. My team's only detected the presence--or lack thereof--of the new strain of Jenova cells... the one that more closely resembles the cells of the old Commander." Melantha paused, then shook her head. "I would need more... more samples of oasis, and a sample of the evening sun. With that, I might be able to discover more."

Before anyone else could speak, Cloud did. "I'll take a team with me to Wutai. We'll investigate the situation there and come back with the sample you need."

Melantha sat down, and Reeve cleared his throat. "Cloud, are you certain that that's a good idea?"

Zack worried when he saw the cold mask of Cloud's face--not only was that expression eerily familiar, but he also knew that Cloud must have been hiding a much stronger emotion--but Cloud nodded. "I'm a target. The building's security was breached by force because I was here. If I leave, the Shinra Building at least won't be such a high-priority target, and SOLDIER can be used to safeguard the rest of the city. General Wolff will know what to do; I've already discussed the possibility of a similar situation with him." He looked down again at his monitor. "The hydra that Vincent and I encountered in the underwater reactor focused its attention on me, even tried to knock me out. The monster that headed the attack on the building poisoned me--you all know it rendered me immobile and harmless for hours. If I stay here, there's no way of knowing just how strongly they'll push next time... and I don't want to risk anymore civilian lives, especially when I could be out doing something, instead of being holed up." Cloud stared at Reeve. "Besides, I can't exactly do paperwork when my office has been destroyed, now can I?"

"Who would be on your team?" Reeve asked.

"Yuffie is still in Wutai, and I can't think of anyone better suited to be a guide," Cloud said. "After that... I'd like Zack to accompany me."

"You would be fine if we arranged the rest of this mission?" Rufus said, and Cloud looked to the other copresident.

"I want a small team," he said. "Those I can trust."

For the first time, Vincent spoke up. "I will go, and Cait Sith can come as well. Would that be fine?"

Cloud nodded. "I'd be fine with that. We'll need to leave as soon as possible."

From across the room, Cid coughed. "I can do that for ya, kid."

"Don't worry about the arrangements, Cloud," Vincent said. "We can handle the rest from here, and if we can we'll be on our way to Wutai tomorrow evening." His voice changed subtly. "Get some rest."

Cloud hesitated, but murmured agreement and stood. Zack glanced at the others and rose to follow him. Cloud waited for him out in the hall, and Zack knew better than to discuss anything from the conference unless Cloud brought it up first. Then his younger friend stopped, and looked at his friend.

"I know I just said that I don't think you should leave me alone, but..." Cloud shook his head. "I need to be alone. I need to go on a walk--"

"Hey," Zack said softly, and his friend stopped. "It's all right. I want to look at the office, anyway, see if I can find anything else... Is that okay?"

The mask melted into relief, and Cloud glanced to make sure that no one else was around and there were no security cameras before embracing his older friend. "Thank you. I'll go straight back to the apartment, I promise."

Zack grinned as they separated. "Like I keep saying, it's all right. Go on ahead, and I'll see you later. Just be careful, all right?" And he watched his friend leave, before trudging back along to the elevators. The lobby, when Zack exited the elevators, still smelled faintly of monsters, and he had to show his card to the troopers guarding the hallways every time he passed them, and again outside of Cloud's office. When he stepped inside, he shoved his hands into his pockets and held back a shudder; the wind came right in from the shattered window panes, and most of the office was such a wreck... Zack went to the windows and looked out at the view of Junon, the cliffs, the sea. He was glad that, for once, it wasn't raining.

***

Elena was waiting for Zack just outside the office, arms crossed, impatient. "Rufus wanted to see you," she said.

Zack looked at the petite woman, then shook his head. "No offense, Elena, but I'm tired of answering to your boss's beck and call. I don't work for him. Hell, I don't really work for Cloud, I don't think. And if he really wants to tell me something, he could do it himself, instead of sending you or Reno--"

"The black boxes," Elena said sharply. "He's told you about them?"

Zack stopped. "Cloud...?"

The young Turk shook her head. "Come on. If you want to be able to protect him, then you should know these things. Idiot...!"

Zack wasn't sure if he was annoyed or amused, but followed her anyway to A Block yet again. The halls still smelled strangely, but the air inside Rufus's office was cool and clean, as usual. Rufus looked up at him as he entered, and nodded to them in greeting.

"Thank you, Elena."

"Sir." She glared at Zack. "Though someone didn't want to come until I mentioned the boxes."

"Heh. That trusting, Donovan?"

"Shut up, Rufus."

"I think that would go against the reason why you're standing in my office, wouldn't it?" Rufus held up a file. "I'm sure you saw this not too long ago on Strife's desk."

"I was pretty damn sure he didn't get that information through a regular request. But why would Cloud be interested in them?"

"I still can't answer, though I think I might have an idea." He put the file down, stood up and walked to the other side of the office, opening up a hidden door and taking out a wine bottle. "When Strife first asked us to do a little investigation, he came to us with two words: Pandora's Box."

"That old tale?"

"Something like it. We had nothing else to go on, until our initial search found a connection to the black boxes. We gave what little information we found to him, and he told us that Pandora's Box is, apparently, much larger in proportion to the black boxes used in Wutai." Rufus poured himself a glass, put the bottle back in its hidden cupboard, then turned to Zack and took a sip. "So, Donovan, connect the dots."

"Sephiroth banned the black boxes before I was even sent to Wutai, but I had heard enough of them when I got there," Zack muttered. "Some of the men refused to believe they existed. They were used as horror stories around the campfires, to keep the men from thinking about Wutanese demons."

"You never saw one, huh?" said Reno from behind, and Zack turned as Reno came out of the shadows. "Black metal, rectangular. Just big enough to hold a man's body if he was curled up. And if he didn't fit, then limbs were broken or removed until he did. Innocuous enough if you had no clue what it was. It could've been just another Shinra storage container." Reno shrugged. "Saw 'em enough the brief time I was over there. One of Hojo's flunkies came up with the idea. Stick a man in there for a few days without being able to see, move, hear... in the hot seasons, they boiled, and in the cold seasons, they froze."

"So even the most loyal samurai cracked..." Zack shook his head. "They used them for interrogations, right?"

"Yeah, and that was the problem." Reno propped his hip against Rufus's desk. "Too many of the captives went completely insane, and nobody could use 'em for anything. Only thing to do was to put 'em out of their misery." Elena, still standing beside the door, made a choking sound.

"Something larger than the black boxes..." He looked back to Rufus. "Why larger? Unless..."

"Unless there was something else this new box is designed to do," Rufus said with a nod. "We found pictures. Cloud confirmed it for us when we showed them to him." He motioned to Reno, who picked up another file from the desk and held it out to Zack. "But we didn't show him all of them. We were uncertain that that would be a good idea."

Zack took the file, opened it up. The few photographs were completely monochrome, and showed a mechanical facility. They were stills of robotic arms constructing something, and the finished product stood in the last picture. It was a gigantic black cube, completely smooth, with no noticeable opening. A figure in a labcoat stood beside it, his back toward the camera, but the cube towered over him.

"Where...?"

"Hojo's files, of course. He was intrigued by his colleague's idea, and wanted to investigate it further. So they developed it together, from what we know."

"And the colleague?"

Rufus swirled his wine in its glass. "The first victim."

"Hojo shoved him into the Box," Reno said. "And then he took the time to go through and--this oughta sound familiar to ya--get rid of records of his buddy's existence. We have no idea who his friend was, or what the hell happened to him."

Zack flipped further through the photos, most of them just other ones of the box without the mysterious figure around, but stopped when he reached one depicting a man who was scrambling to crawl out of the box, only... "Those aren't hands... Wait. Is it pulling him inside?" He went to the next, saw another man, next a woman, then more men, all of them naked, all of them with that lost, empty gaze of people who have lost all rationality, some of them chewing on their own limbs, others restrained by chains... and others who were definitely dead. "Gods... And Cloud... knew about this?"

"Knew of Pandora's Box, and judging from his reaction to just the first batch of pictures that showed the Box, he knew what it did." Rufus finished his wine and set the glass aside on his desk. "The problem is still that we don't know how he knows about it, or when he must have encountered it. What we do know, going by what Elena's managed to decode of the text files hidden along with those pictures, is that nearly all of the specimens, as Hojo called them, were subjected to a certain kind of drug."

"Give you one guess which plant that drug's developed from," Reno said, holding out his hand.

Zack closed the file, and handed it over. "But how the hell does telling me all this benefit you?"

"If Pandora's Box has anything to do with the recent attacks and this new drug, then I'll take whatever defenses against it that I can get," Rufus said, then sat down behind his desk.

Zack shrugged. "Fair enough."

He left the office and realized how tired he was. He tried to think of anything but the thought of Cloud, taking the place of one of the specimens in those photographs...

***

Zack was surprised to see Cloud walking down the hallway to his apartment, coming from the opposite end. He said his friend's name and Cloud looked up distractedly, though he smiled when he saw Zack. They met at the door, and the moment they were inside, Zack found himself caught in a hug, and noticed a particular smell about his friend.

"Chocobo...?"

They separated, and Cloud nodded. "Well, we don't know how long we'll be gone in Wutai, and since we aren't taking any chocobo with us... I wanted to say good-bye to Takeyo."

Zack chuckled. "You and your birds. Let's get some sleep, eh?"

"Yeah... You look tired, Zack, and you've got that look on your face like you've been thinking too hard."

"I'm okay," he said automatically, and it was obvious Cloud didn't believe him. He nodded, but as they got ready for bed Zack could feel his friend watching him occasionally with worry.


	9. Chapter 9

The moon hung low in the sky, large, looming, but not as oppressive as Meteor had been. Large and full, reflecting white light back towards him, bathing everything in a sheen of silver. It was really quite beautiful, even to someone like him.

Vincent sighed and set aside the drink he had held in his hand, certain that victory was supposed to feel more fulfilling than this. Salvation had to be more fulfilling than this. He had done his best, after all, to rectify the sins of his past, even if it had meant committing another sin in slaying Lucrecia's son.

 _Of course, Cloud would tell me that I didn't kill Lucrecia's son. According to him, that Sephiroth was already dead._

It made him wonder, however, just how much Cloud had known about Sephiroth before the Nibelheim incident. Given the initial story Cloud had given him, it seemed that Cloud would have had to have been with the Commander on a few missions... but after the blond's revelations in the Lifestream, he wondered if Cloud himself knew how many of those missions were his own and how many belonged to the First Class, the one Cloud had called Zack.

He had done some investigating of his own, asking Tifa questions whenever Cloud wasn't around. It had seemed to help the young woman deal with it, herself, being able to talk about the time. Zack had been comfortable in Sephiroth's presence, she had told him, but then she thought he must have been comfortable in everyone's presence.

 _And if that's the case... Then Zack, at least, had definitely been in Sephiroth's presence more often. Cloud, however..._

Cloud was problematic, but Vincent found that he didn't mind mulling over the younger man. Just thinking about him reminded Vincent of other things that he associated with Cloud--the stillness of his curled body when he slept in deep sleep like death, the utter opposite which was his thrashing, clawing dream sleep, the way Cloud stood, the way he walked always as if he bore a burden even when he wasn't carrying his sword, the way he watched the others, they way he watched him, the way he talked, the way he had once found him leaning against the Highwind's railing, staring straight down into the sea of clouds below... the way he touched him once when healing him, the way he spoke of his past, the way he spoke of Aerith, the way he spoke to Tifa, the way he spoke to the others, the way he spoke to him, the way he...

 _Gods. I really have been doting on him. You'd laugh at me, Lu._

"Vincent...?"

The quiet voice startled him, but he did not jump. No, his Turk instincts cut in and he twisted about with his gun pointed at the intruder, only to see Cloud staring at him curiously from the top of the rise. Vincent instantly put the weapon away, but Cloud took it into stride without any outward feelings of surprise or anger.

 _With everything that's happened to him, I'm sure he'd respond similarly._

Vincent turned back to looking out at the wreckage of Midgar, even though he could hear--if he listened carefully--Cloud coming down the slow slope, down to the cliff where Vincent sat. After a time, he felt Cloud standing beside him.

"May I?"

"Certainly."

Cloud sat down, letting his legs dangle over the side of the cliff--a physical gesture that Vincent thought strangely childlike--and stared out at the wreckage as well, his blue eyes seeming brighter than usual in the full moonlight.

"Cait Sith came back on not long after you left," Cloud said. "Reeve told us that he and the people of Midgar had escaped, and were on their way to Kalm. He said the remaining Soldiers and troopers were helping him, but he would like to meet all of us there so he could decide what to do."

"Cid won't want to leave the Highwind behind like this, though."

"I know. I'm thinking we might split up, let a few stay with Cid in case anything happens. The rest will come with me to Kalm." Cloud looked down now at the sharp drop of the cliff, leaning out to get a better view. Then, with a shrug, he leaned backwards, palms behind him on the grass as he looked up at the sky. "But... I'm tired of being the leader, of the questions and expectations... I want someone else to take the role." Another slight pause, before he said, "Does that make me selfish?"

Vincent took a sip of his drink, letting the alcohol wash down his throat. He offered it to Cloud wordlessly, but Cloud shook his head. "Cloud," he said, setting aside the drink, "you are the most unselfish person I know. And you should not feel ashamed for desiring some peace. You have every right to walk away and never speak to any of us again. I wouldn't blame you."

He was startled yet again when he felt a curious finger resting on his metal claw, and he looked down to see Cloud running an ungloved hand over it. He saw that Cloud's other arm, like always, was bandaged, but unlike always he wasn't wearing the glove over it. Before he could voice a question, Cloud whispered, "What is it like...?"

"What?"

"What is it like?" Cloud repeated, his blue eyes lifting briefly to meet Vincent's crimson ones. Then his gaze went back to the metal, and he pulled back his hand as Vincent raised his arm.

"I've grown so used to its weight... but every time I see someone cringe away from me, I realize I am marked, just as I was when I was a Turk. I was a monster before Hojo shot me... he just decided to let it show for all the world to see."

Cloud nodded, turning back to the Midgar valley. "Not human... I... I understand. Vincent...? Can I see what's under the metal?"

A third time Cloud surprised him, and he hesitated, considering, turning the claw over. He undid the latches, and pulled the metal claw away from the actual claw beneath, gritting his teeth against the pain on his claw's skin as he did so. He put the metal beside his drink, and flexed the fingers, hoping it would ease the pain.

His claw was one that belonged to Chaos. Fine black scales covered the flesh, so dark that it was impossible to tell that they were scales unless one looked closely. The black nails that tipped each long finger were all broken, crude and jagged, from where the metal glove had forced them to break.

Beside him, Cloud cocked his head, staring at the revealed arm with quiet interest. He rose his right hand and placed it over the black scales, before looking up at Vincent.

"It... It's warm."

Somewhere in his mind, Vincent wondered how many more times Cloud would manage to surprise him tonight, though he was willing to attribute this one to the alcohol. He secretly vowed to surprise Cloud himself with equal effectiveness. On the outside, he did not allow his surprise to show beyond raising his eyebrows. Cloud shrugged, went back to looking at Vincent's arm, his hand running down to Vincent's own.

"And what about your left arm?" he asked, determined to stop Cloud before he did something uncalled for. "I've never once seen it unbandaged."

"There's not much to tell," Cloud mumbled, running his fingers along the palm, following the creases, the ridges where the scales were more prominent. He finally drew his hand back, looking instead at his own left arm, at the bandage wrapped around it. "I was young and desperate. Zack saved me. And, just like with everything else, I have a hard time letting it go."

"Mm." Vincent watched as Cloud scooted back away from the cliff, leaning back on his hands again, tipping his head back to look up at the stars. There Cloud was, completely open and trusting, laid back and washed with the light of the moon... just temptingly... there.

"Forgive me," he murmured under his breath, and Cloud looked at him curiously, just in time for Vincent to place his lips over Cloud's mouth. Cloud's eyes widened with shock, and that surprise only deepened when the blond realized what position they were in. Vincent had moved in a blur, and now Cloud was practically on his back, with only one elbow supporting him from the ground. The other hand rested on Vincent's shoulder, while both of Vincent's arms had wrapped around him, and Vincent was straddling one of his thighs.

 _That's it... one of the Turk's first rules..._ Vincent thought, breaking the kiss and smiling as he pulled away, seeing the blush rise in Cloud's cheeks, though the shock hadn't lessened. _Take your prey by complete surprise._

They remained in that position, unmoving, staring at each other's faces in a stalemate. Vincent wasn't certain if Cloud was just that shocked or merely uncertain what to do next, but then he felt the blond's hand leave his shoulder, moving behind his neck and then sliding upwards. Fingers tangled into his hair, and then Cloud drew a long, shuddering breath before drawing him down. Vincent willingly went down, capturing Cloud's mouth with his own again, felt Cloud's other hand going to his back, felt himself rising as Cloud's eyes drifted closed. Unable to stop himself, and eager to taste, he left Cloud's mouth and began to lay kisses down his jawline, working his way down to Cloud's neck. His own eyes had closed, and when he bit into Cloud's flesh he heard the younger man moan, felt the smaller body shudder against his own.

It was also then that he realized Cloud's hands had moved to his shoulders, and Cloud was now trying unsuccessfully to push him away. Eyes snapping open, Vincent immediately sat back, ready to ask Cloud if he was all right...

...and failing when he realized that Cloud was breathing heavily, too heavily, and the blue glow in his half-opened eyes was intensified by fear, but Cloud wasn't looking at him, wasn't looking at him at all.

"Cloud," he said, and the blond's eyes slid to him. "Cloud, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"Vincent..." Cloud sat up, put a hand to his temple, shutting his eyes. "I'm sorry... but I... I thought I saw... thought I felt... and he was... he was there... he was angry with me..."

"Cloud, what are you talking about?" Vincent asked, alarmed by Cloud's broken speech. Cloud didn't answer, instead pushing himself up onto his feet and slowly walking away. Vincent stood to follow, and only then noticed he had forgotten to cover his claw again.

 _Even with that physical reminder of my own monstrosity... Cloud was willing to be with me, even if only for that little while..._

Determined, and still worried by whatever it was that had caused Cloud to be frightened so easily, Vincent reattached the glove and followed the younger man back toward the Highwind's wreckage, completely oblivious to the fact that he had left the remains of his drink on the cliff's edge.

 _Another Turk rule... Never let your prey escape._

***

Vincent stared at the empty chamber, his claw twitching as, for the fifth time, his eyes scanned the room for any signs of entry. But this chamber in the vault, just like all the others, was completely secure... asides from the door, there was no other entrance or exit.

"Oi."

He didn't turn around; he didn't need to. "Reno."

"The kid and Zack are all cozied up now, safe and sound. We've double-checked with every patrol and security team and camera out there... looks safe."

"You're late, Reno," he said, walking to the center of the chamber and looking down at the sole object remaining--the wooden Wutanese sword stand. The two blades the stand was meant to display, of course, were missing.

"Y'know me, I always take my time--"

"Rufus knows better than that," he growled, turning to glare at the Turk. Reno met his gaze, stance still nonchalant but eyes cold and impassive. "Or at least he should."

"Figured you'd catch on eventually. But kinda an awkward time to call him out on it, seeing as to how you're about to go flying off on a mission."

"Don't worry. There will be no accidents. Here or there."

"If you know so much, sir," Reno sneered, "then you also know he's not interested in cutting you or Reeve down." Vincent only continued to stare at him, and Reno's certainty faltered. "Whoa, wait, you mean..."

"I know he's hiding something from us... something important concerning Cloud," Vincent said, stepping out of the chamber and slamming the door behind him. "I want to know what it is."

"In that case, good luck." The red-headed Turk shrugged and leaned against the door. "He's not talking to ya, but that's because the kid himself doesn't want anyone to know. How's that for ya? Rufus actually doing what he's told? All because of the kid?" When Vincent didn't answer to that, Reno shrugged. "Figures. But I've been meaning to ask ya..."

"What?"

Another shrug, this time less casual. "The kid and Zack. That can't be easy on ya. In fact, I'd bet my goddamned nightstick that it's eating you up. You oughta go out with us for drinks sometime, you were a Turk--" Reno stopped when a golden claw suddenly pounded into the door beside his head, and blinked when he saw that Vincent's glare had not only intensified; he could feel something encased in that clawed arm writhing.

"There is only one man I trust with my feelings," Vincent growled. "So if you value your spine in its present condition, I'd recommend you cease your investigation immediately." He stepped back, flexed the claw. "There is still a monster in me. You'd best not forget that." Without another word, he turned and disappeared down the darkened hallways of the vault. Reno stared after him, rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, hell. I hope he's nicer when he talks to Zack about it." He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Rude, if you had to place bets on who'd win--"

"Idiot." The taller man stepped out of the shadows. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Yeah, well, you said it first. I'm an idiot. Most attractive idiot in the world."

Rude grunted. "Let's go. Elena's waiting for us back at the rooms."

***

In the morning, Cloud was up and about long before Zack finally woke, getting things ready for the journey. He was in the bathroom and opened the cabinet when he saw a small bottle of pills on the highest shelf. He glanced over his shoulder; Zack was still asleep in bed, his back toward him. Cloud reached up and took the bottle down, looking at its plain contents, the small pills... He unscrewed the cap, rolled a single pill out onto his palm. He considered it, and then closed his eyes and put the pill back in the bottle, screwed the cap back on, and put the bottle back in the cabinet.

"...Cloud?"

He shut the cabinet's door, turned and wandered into the bedroom, smiling as Zack sat up. "Hey."

"Why'd you let me sleep in so long...?" Zack grumbled, before yawning. "Vincent said we'd be gone today, right?"

"I'm the one that keeps going unconscious on everyone," he said with a shrug. "It's my fault you keep losing sleep."

His old friend snorted, pushing aside the covers. "It's not your fault that something out there is after you. It's okay, Cloud, really."

"Mm. I guess I'm just glad to be going someplace."

"Somewhere other than here, huh?" Zack mumbled. "I don't think anyone can blame ya for that." He stood, stretched, headed for the bathroom. Cloud simply watched him until the door closed, and then began drifting about the apartment, collecting things to put in his duffle and automatically setting aside Zack's things so his friend could pack quickly. He had no worries about the time Zack would take to be ready; he remembered the way Zack would just throw things into his pack and go, back at the barracks...

He jumped when he heard the bathroom door open, and turned around with one hand clutching the hilt of his dagger until he saw Zack. Zack was standing in the doorway with the bottle of medicine, looking at it with a wrinkled brow, and before Zack glanced up at him Cloud forced himself to relax.

"Hey, Cloud? What's this?"

"That? It's the medicine I take to deal with my motion sickness." The lie escaped his lips before he had realized it, and he crossed the room, holding out a hand. "I almost forgot it. Thanks for reminding me."

"Sure thing." Zack tossed the bottle to him, and grinned. "Still get sick, huh?"

"Sometimes." And he smiled back, and when he turned back to his duffle and slid the bottle of pills inside, all he could think of was a smile in the dark... and for once, it wasn't Sephiroth's.

 _"If you remembered to take your medicine like you're supposed to, this wouldn't have to happen."_

***

Because the train tunnels were shut down for inspections and patrols, the trek to the Shinra Building from Cloud's apartment took longer than usual. Zack didn't mind so much, even if he was still unnerved by the way the crowd avoided Cloud, but when they arrived at the Building he was glad to see that--for once--there wasn't a Turk lurking about to tell them what to do. Instead, there was a First Class Soldier who informed them that their airship would be departing from dock 456 from T Block at 1200 hours, and General Wolff needed to discuss another detail with Strife.

So they were on their way to S Block, and once they reached Wolff's office Cloud asked Zack to stay outside. Zack nodded, and just when the door closed, the Soldier said in a hushed voice, "We're glad to see you're still with us, Donovan."

Zack turned, and before the Soldier could walk down the halls Zack stopped him. "Whoa, wait a minute--you don't just say something like that and walk away."

The Soldier glanced at the nearest clock, then nodded and held out his hand. "Can't take off the helmet while on duty, sir, but the name's Gales. Keith Gales, First Class."

"I'm sorry, maybe my memory's fuzzy, but... I don't remember you."

Beneath the thick visor, the Soldier smiled as Zack shook his hand. "It's all right, sir. I was just a candidate at the time of the Nibelheim mission."

"Stop calling me sir," Zack said. "Just Zack is fine. And I was wondering if there was anyone in SOLDIER left who remembered me."

"There's a good number of us left who do, sir--Zack," Gales murmured. "Even those of us who weren't Soldiers yet. Anyone who was a good candidate knew of you--you were the only man who ever made the Commander laugh." There was a pause, and Zack could feel the focus of the Soldier's gaze shift to the door of Wolff's office. "Apparently, that applies to the current commander as well. And that's... something we wanted to speak to you about, sir."

"Zack," he reminded him, the nodded. "What is it?"

"Many of us are concerned, Zack... not just because there was that time of a year when he suddenly disappeared... and not just because he seems more like the old Commander than he ought to... but with all due respect to Strife..." Another pause, and Gales looked again at Zack. "We know we'll never know everything about what happened with Sephiroth. Strife told us as much as he felt he could when he was first given the position of Commander of SOLDIER. And he's done a good job, considering his lack of experience--which he's admitted--and none of us doubt his ability. But he frightens the hell out of us, Zack, and some of the older Soldiers--men you've served with in Wutai--are whispering strange things about him."

"Strange things?"

Gales nodded. "Some of them first started picking up on it during the first time we met with him..."

***

There were some rumors among the remains of SOLDIER, of course, long before they were called to a meeting in one of the major briefing rooms of the Junon SOLDIER complex. They had all heard things, from the brass to the troopers, but they also knew things that the rest of the public and military didn't, and that changed the nature behind their rumors. While the rest of the world wondered about Avalanche, they wondered more about the mysterious Cloud Strife. Some of them had encountered him in brief skirmishes--a few had survived--but all of the Shinra briefings concerning Avalanche had labeled him as an ex-Soldier, First Class. As any of the surviving Soldiers would have told you, there was never a man of that name in their ranks. Which meant he was just another lie among the other lies they suspected Shinra was feeding them, or there was more of a connection between his appearance and the reappearance of Sephiroth than they were allowed to know.

But whatever he was, he was apparently being appointed the new Commander of SOLDIER.

They silenced as they entered the briefing room, and were surprised to see their new Commander leaning against the back wall in the shadows, arms crossed, in a pose that struck several of them as familiar. They also noticed he wasn't wearing his new Commander's uniform, but an old First Class uniform that had seen better days.

When they were seated, he pushed off from the wall and walked to the center of the room, Mako eyes uncommonly bright even among their own.

"You all know why we're here," he said. "Contrary to whatever the Shinra might have told you, however, I'm not here because I want to be. I'm here because I need to be, in order to give you answers. And to answer one of your first concerns, General Wolff will still fulfill the role of second-in-command for the organization. Now..." He paused, took a moment to look across the entire room. "My name is Cloud Strife. I was a grunt under Zackary Donovan of squad zeta. The only reason I'm standing here is because of Zack." Cloud looked down at the table in the middle of the room. "He gave me everything. Because of that, yes, I was the one who defeated Sephiroth. The Shinra briefing was correct about that."

"I remember you," one of the Soldiers murmured, and Cloud's eyes rose to meet the confused glowing brown. "You... But you and Zack were supposed to--"

"Be dead. I know." Cloud nodded, then cracked a grin. "But I'm not, even if I--even if Zack and Sephiroth are. So you're stuck with me."

***

"He told us that the most experience he had with leading anyone was with Avalanche," Gales said, "and then he told us that he would learn as quickly as he could, that he was a fast learner, that he would go on missions with the men. He reassured us that we were still needed--that we were especially needed--and then he said that there would be no others like us--there were no longer going to be inductions into SOLDIER."

"That bothered the men?" Zack interrupted, and Gales shook his head quickly.

"No sir. It was the way he started to talk. About the inductions. About going out on missions with us. He didn't sound crazy--he sounded absolutely sane. But at the same time, it didn't seem like Strife himself was talking." Gales lowered his voice. "And some of the others have said that they didn't think Strife was alone in that room. It was strange enough, the way the room was dimly lit. But the shadows... it was like the Commander was constantly in the shadows. And we've watched him going through his drills... all of us, all of us, Zack, have at some point thought we've seen not just one Commander, but two, the old and the new, crossing blades with each other." The Soldier quieted as a patrol of troopers passed by, and glanced again at the door before continuing. "Then one of the men happened to accidentally walk in on the Commander in the locker room, heard something strange in the showers... and that's when the older Soldiers started murmuring about before the Nibelheim mission."

Zack's mouth was dry, but he swallowed and urged the Soldier on. "What about it? What about before Nibelheim?"

"Well, there was a trooper--you know, at first, everyone involved in SOLDIER thought you were the only one who could get close to Commander Sephiroth. But more and more of the men have started to remember times when they always spotted this one trooper around... a candidate for SOLDIER--" Gales suddenly stopped, and Zack heard the door to Wolff's office opening. He immediately took a step back from the First Class and grinned.

"No kidding, which squad did you say you were a member of before you were inducted?" he said, and Gales chuckled.

"Gamma, sir," the Soldier said, and then bowed his head to Cloud, who was suddenly at Zack's shoulder. "Sir."

"At ease, Gales," Cloud murmured, and looked up at Zack. "I'm sorry, Zack, but we need to hurry if we're going to be ready for take-off."

"Not a problem, kiddo," Zack said, and lazily saluted Gales. "Thanks for the refresher. I'll have to meet the rest of you guys sometime, see who else made it while I was away."

"Of course, sir," the First Class said, saluting the two of them before turning and walking down the hallway.

"Nice guy." He looked down at Cloud, smiled. "You remember him from before?"

Cloud shook his head, immediately started for the elevators. "Kinda. He was... nice. Before. A good man now."

"What's with the rush? We still have some time." His smile slipped, concern taking over, even as the gears in his head turned. _Shit... I have the feeling I needed to hear all of what Gales had to say... but none of it was anything new... stuff I already knew, of course Cloud was always around, he tried to find ways to watch Sephiroth whenever he could... and that he had been acting like Sephiroth for awhile, too, everyone else has already told me that... so what else did Gales have to say?_ "Something wrong?" he asked, glad he was still capable of thinking about something entirely different from what he was saying.

"Nothing important," Cloud muttered, thumbing the button for the elevator, his eyes averted.

 _Gods, please don't let it be anything important..._ Zack followed Cloud into the elevator when it arrived, was thankful that there was no one else inside as they began riding it up to the higher floors. "You sure?"

Cloud's eyes flashed up to Zack's, and for a few seconds those eyes--still shockingly blue--were more like Sephiroth's than Zack could believe, frozen mirrors, frozen glass. "Leave me alone."

Zack knew he was staring and had to turn away and look at the glass side of the elevator to force himself to stop, but the shock was numbing.

 _"Then one of the men happened to accidentally walk in on the Commander in the locker room, heard something strange in the showers... and that's when the older Soldiers started murmuring about before the Nibelheim mission."_

 _Shit... No, it's not something I already know. What was it that the Soldier heard?_ Zack put a hand against the glass, carefully glanced at Cloud's reflection and saw the cold blue eyes were fully concentrated on him. _And how the hell did the other Soldiers "see" Sephiroth while Cloud was training? Cloud in the shadows..._ He closed his eyes, for a few moments thought he could feel green claws digging into his skull.

"Whatever you do, Zack, don't ask for First Class Jennison."

The claws were gone, and when Zack looked back at Cloud, he saw his old friend standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the side of the elevator, eyes half-closed and gaze distant... but still freezing. "What?" he said as the elevator came to a halt.

"He was a traitor," Cloud said. The elevator doors opened, and he stood up straight, arms falling to his sides. "He's dead now."

Zack left the elevator and ignored the grumble of some Shinra employees complaining about how late their lunch break was. He stared instead at Cloud's wake, at the way the people parted around his old friend, and felt more aware than he had since he first awoke in the hospital--terrified and absolutely aware.

 _...fuck._

***

He didn't remember what excuse he gave Zack before waving his friend on to the appropriate airship dock. He just stepped into the first employee's lounge that they encountered, his glare scared the one middle-aged technician out, and then he closed and locked the door. Dumping his duffle onto the floor, he pressed the heels of his hands against his closed eyes, forced himself to stop, to breathe.

"What's wrong with me...?"

He stood still for several long moments, and finally looked down to the duffle on the floor. He bent down and unzipped one of the side pockets, pulled out the bottle of pills. He stared at the contents, considering... and then nodded, taking off the cap and shaking out a pill. Before he could stop himself, he went to the water fountain, filled a cup of water, popped the pill into his mouth and drank. There was a sickening feeling as the pill bumped against the back of his tongue on its way down, and he hit the wall, concentrating on the sensations of his hand in order to ignore the urge to vomit. He drank a few more cups of water before crushing the paper cup and tossing it into the nearest wastebasket, and then leaned against the wall, massaging his temple.

"It's okay if I take it this once..." he whispered. "Just the flight on the airship... I won't need to do anything... it'll make me sleep... gods..."

***

"Zack!" The moment he stepped into the open air of dock 456, Zack was hailed by Vincent, and he saw the other dark-haired man walking swiftly toward him. Zack blinked, surprised to see Vincent was not wearing the Turk uniform that Zack had grown accustomed to seeing him in, but the outfit he recognized from some of Cloud's photographs--metal-toed boots, black pants, shirt, the old red cape with the mantle and the tall collar... and with Vincent's long hair loose, Zack could see what Tifa had meant about their superficial likeness.

 _Very superficial, but yeah..._ He shook himself, looked over his shoulder to see that Cloud hadn't caught up with him yet.

"Where is he?" Vincent asked.

"He stepped into one of the lounges, said he had forgotten to take his motion sickness medicine. But, since he was the one telling me we needed to hurry, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"You look nervous. Something wrong?"

"Nah." It was strange, lying to Vincent, especially about something like this, but as he wasn't certain what to think about it yet... he thought buying more time would be best. "So, uh, awhile back, when I told Cloud about our meeting with that yakuza, Shin..."

"He mentioned someone named Kurai, didn't he?"

"Yeah. What's that about?"

"Kurai headed a move by the yakuza against Lord Godo about two years ago," Vincent said as they walked closer to the airship, one of Cid's smaller designs. "Cloud, who happened to be in Wutai at the time as an ambassador from Shinra, intervened on behalf of SOLDIER, mostly because Kurai's contentions were political."

"Political?" Zack sniffed. "He was using Shinra's attempt at peaceful negotiations to further his own agenda in the underworld."

"Precisely. So Cloud intervened before any weapons were raised."

"How?"

"He and Kurai spoke privately in Lord Godo's own private garden, the only place they could speak without any risk of spying from either side. I don't know what words were exchanged, but they settled on a duel. Whomever drew first blood would win, and the loser would have to walk away and vow not to interfere in the other's business."

"Cloud won."

Vincent nodded. "And he let Kurai go. Kurai was only mildly injured, though I'm surprised his honor among the yakuza hadn't been strained enough that they didn't order him to kill himself, or surrender his control."

"He sounds intelligent for yakuza," Zack muttered, side-stepping a troop of bustling engineers hollering for last-minute supplies. "Maybe he's found a way to control the rest of the yakuza? Fear, maybe?"

"That or he knows precisely how to use the evening sun. I would be unsurprised to find that the other bosses beneath him are addicted to a variation of oasis."

"Hmm."

"Whatever the case, I worry about whatever connection he might have with the events that have taken place here."

"Well, there's only one way to know for certain," Zack said, as they ducked up the airship's boarding ramp and into one of the cargo bays so Zack could put down his duffle.

Vincent only nodded again, watching him with his typical apathy. "Have there been any...?"

"Problems? Not really. Though..." Zack straightened, looked at Vincent questioningly. "I do worry."

"Understandable." He leaned against the wall nearest the door, gently shutting it and staring out the circular window for any sign of their young friend. "How did you meet him?"

"Hmm?" Zack blinked, paused in sitting down on a crate.

"Cloud."

"Well, it was kinda by accident. I first saw him during his registration in Junon, but I didn't meet him until I saw him again in Midgar. Even then, the meeting didn't take place until I pulled him out of a brawl."

Vincent turned his head slightly, and Zack shrugged.

"Kid was fighting for his life."

"Mm." Another pause, and then, "You have always been close?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Took him some time to warm up to me, but he had met me in a positive light, so once he got over that part of his embarrassment... Yeah, he was all right. Why?"

"I'll be blunt. I want to know if I have competition."

Zack blinked. "...The hell? Competition?" The realization was enough to floor him, and even then he had a hard time grasping the concept of Vincent harboring... "Wait, wait," he said, standing, "you're telling me that you harbor special feelings..."

"Yes."

"For Cloud?"

"Yes. Is that so hard to understand?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean, maybe. It's just I'm having a hard time seeing..."

Vincent raised one eyebrow over heavy-lidded eyes in a gesture that seemed uncannily familiar to Zack, but he had seen the expression enough to know what it meant, all the same: _You are an idiot._

"Hell, Vince--"

"Vincent," he corrected automatically, and Zack scowled.

"Vince, Vincent, you know what I mean, bloody Turk. It's just... You don't exactly strike me as the affectionate type."

"Affection should be meaningful. I give mine to few." Vincent inspected the talons on his claw. "So. Am I wrong in my assumption? I admit, Nanaki and I both knew since our visit to the cabin that the two of you were sleeping together, but we had no way of knowing how innocent it was."

"Hell yeah, you've got competition." Zack had to resist reaching for the Buster Sword, scowl turning to a determined grin. "Do you have any idea how long I've been after Cloud Strife, Vincent? I'm not about to let him go to just anyone, whether it be Sephiroth or you. I respect you and all, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to give up the last thing left to me."

Vincent returned the grin with a smirk of his own. "Don't sound so sure of yourself."

"And why not?"

"I'm certain Cloud harbors feelings for you. But I also know that my own aren't exactly one-sided."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Vincent leaned in closer. "Have you ever kissed him before, Donovan?"

"You didn't."

"I did. He enjoyed it, as I recall. I gather that it's something more than what you have received."

"So when did you do this?" Zack growled. "When the kid was emotionally defenseless, or--"

"The details aren't important." The smirk became even more smug, and Zack glared straight back.

"Look, during the mission," Zack said, "I'm going to treat you as I would any other man on my side at the battlefield: a competent partner I can trust with my life. But if you think I'm just gonna stand aside and let you take Cloud from me...!"

Vincent leaned back, tip of one claw tapping against his flesh-and-blood arm. "Since when did you own Cloud Strife, Zack? Last time I checked, he belonged to no one."

Zack snorted and headed for the door. "I'm going to find Cloud." The door swung shut behind him, and he headed back to the boarding ramp. "Cold-blooded bastard," Zack spat, knowing full well that if Vincent's hearing was even half as good as he claimed he would have heard it.

***

Zack found Cloud standing outside speaking with a Second Class Soldier, but he didn't get a good look at the Soldier because of the giant stuffed Moogle standing beside Cloud with a robotic cat sitting on its head. The Soldier saluted Cloud before running back toward the safety of the Building, and Cloud and Cait Sith turned at the same time. Zack grinned to see the Moogle carrying Cloud's duffle as well as another, and he was glad to see Cloud smiling for once. Cloud motioned Cait Sith on ahead, and before the cat-atop-the-Moogle reached the boarding ramp, Zack turned to see Vincent coming out. Vincent took one look at Zack's face, glanced down at Cait Sith, and nodded.

"Cait Sith actually puts Cloud at ease, somehow. There's something about that stuffed toy... that he likes."

This time, he nodded. "So, we're bringing Cait Sith along as a sort of back-up, aren't we?"

"Right." Vincent stepped forward once Cloud and Cait Sith finally reached them, and Cloud went briefly into the cargo bay to set down another bag of equipment alongside theirs. "Found something else we need?"

"Yes. It's not much, but the Soldiers wanted us to have some extra equipment." Cloud shrugged, and seemed completely casual, but they easily picked up the unease in his voice.

"Well, if that's all, are we ready to go?" Cait asked.

Zack grinned, slapping a hand down on Cloud's shoulder. "As ready as we'll ever be, eh?"

They waited only for the airship's crew to finish running down their checklist. They sat comfortably in the ship's passenger compartment, with Cait Sith stuck in an entire row by itself while the human passengers sat together. Cloud sat beside the window, of course, and took to staring outside and getting lost in his thoughts. Zack knew that Cloud was probably trying to dispel any uneasy feelings before the airship took off, remembering how easily Cloud became motion sick, even with medicine-- _If that's what that medicine actually was, of course._ As he sat down beside Cloud, Zack suddenly felt a small feeling of satisfaction; no matter what Vincent had said, he was still the one who was going to sit next to Cloud.

 _Ha. Eat that, Turk._ Zack grinned affably at Vincent as the other man sat down, content to be utterly polite, for now. _After all, I'm going to use every other opportunity I get to rub this in._ His conscience made some smart remark about him acting like a kid again, but Zack happily ignored it as he leaned back in his chair.

After the airship launched, Zack didn't have long before he came up with a wonderful idea. Casually, yet carefully, he slipped one arm around Cloud's shoulders, nothing that seemed too odd from two close friends. Cloud looked up, at first startled out of his reverie, but then smiled up at Zack. Zack grinned back, pulling Cloud closer so he could lean against him. Cloud settled against him, and returned to gazing out the windows. So, he never saw Zack turning his head and grinning viciously at Vincent, who looked more than a little miffed.

 _Ha! This is what you get for that whole jealousy bid of yours._

The rest of the ride went smoothly after that, and Zack found himself dozing off not long after Cloud did beside him. For some reason, every time he started to fall asleep, he thought he could hear something calling out to him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed familiar... He decided not to fall asleep after all, and mulled over what Gales had told him instead... and those words that Cloud had said to him...

 _"Then one of the men happened to accidentally walk in on the Commander in the locker room, heard something strange in the showers... and that's when the older Soldiers started murmuring about before the Nibelheim mission."_

 _"Whatever you do, Zack, don't ask for First Class Jennison. He was a traitor. He's dead now."_

He rubbed at his eyes, wondered at the green burn behind them. Vincent asked him if he was all right, and Zack nodded wordlessly.

 _I'm fine... but I'll be better when I know what the hell's going on._


	10. Chapter 10

The atmosphere of the mental institution was stifling. Rufus hated it the moment he walked into it, but was more surprised to find that Avalanche had told him the truth. Grudgingly so, but they had told him the truth, and all of the evidence the Turks had gathered for him... all pointed here. To this.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to come visit you, Strife," Rufus said quietly. Cloud watched him from his normal chair in the visitation room, curled up, staring at Rufus with one eye, the other hid by shadows and golden bangs. The room was dimly lit, and Reno had seen to it that the camera was off. Even now, the red-headed Turk stood nearby, but there were no nurses, no aides, no strongmen. Rufus still had that much influence. "But your friends seemed fit not to tell me about this until they absolutely had to."

Cloud trembled and turned his face away, said nothing. Rufus came closer, eyes heavy-lidded.

"They reduced you to this? My great opponent, reduced to this?" The whisper was soft, sympathetic, and the pity turned to poison. "And you call them friends? Gods, Strife, no wonder you're here."

"S-stop..."

Surprisingly, Rufus did. His hand touched Cloud's hair instead, running it through his fingers, then softly carressing the nape of Cloud's neck, where the longer strands were messily gathered in a loose tail. He watched the way Cloud's shoulders began to relax, no longer hunched, and he bent down, using his other hand to tilt Cloud's chin up. Cloud's dazed gaze met his own, and Rufus watched as the tip of Cloud's tongue wet the bruised, chapped lips, before meeting Cloud's eyes again.

"Cloud," Rufus said, "they are killing you."

***

Cloud entered his office wearing his commander's uniform, and still cut a striking figure although even Rufus could tell that it did not quite fit him so well as it had when it was first made. It was large, hung off of him, though he carried himself as he always had as the Commander of SOLDIER: straightbacked, sharp, pointed like his sword. Rufus wished he would stand at the windows and gaze out at the rain like he always did before, just so he could see that silhouette against the pale grey of the sky.

They discussed briefly some new budget plans for the military that the council had brought up in Cloud's absence. Rufus went through his points as he always did, went through the motions of a routine that he didn't have to think about. He already knew to what Cloud would object. He had already planned his counters. In the end, Cloud agreed, and although his eyes were mirrors, the cracks were still there and he could tell it hurt Cloud to yield even that much, over trifles.

In the end, Cloud turned sharply on his heels to go without a reply to Rufus's offer of a drink.

"To celebrate your return," Rufus said, "since you were gone for so long."

Cloud wavered at the door. Rufus could see it, the hesitation in Cloud's hand. He circled around the desk, slowly came up behind the weaker commander, spoke the younger man's name again. Cloud rocked, turned and fell back against the wall beside the door, shaking his head.

"I have to--"

"You don't have to go anywhere, yet," Rufus whispered, and with one hand on Cloud's shoulder, led him away from the door. He let Cloud's gaze lead his guidance, until they were at the corner where windows met wall, and Cloud watched the frost of his breath fog up part of the window as if fascinated, his blue eyes wide. Rufus watched Cloud's face before stroking the younger man's cheek with his fingers, gently scratched his nails down the fine skin until he met the collar of the uniform. Without any hesitation, he pressed his palm against Cloud's heart, then pressed his lips against Cloud's lips.

At first, there was no response, but as his fingers undid the front of the commander's coat, unzipped the uniform beneath, and stroked the pale skin, Cloud's mouth opened up to him. Rufus smiled, looked to see Cloud's eyes almost closed, a smoldering blue shimmer like smoke.

Cloud never asked why. Rufus had always thought that he was the sort who would want to know why, who would always question. But when his fingers coaxed a whimper from the other man's lips, he thought he had an idea, a reason, that was feasible. This was something Cloud was used to. It was something he even wanted, or thought he did, and Rufus knew this because he had the tapes to prove it, he had found that his influence stretched farther than Avalanche thought it did.

It still rained outside. Cloud's body was ivory pale against the darkness of his uniform which seemed even darker against the pale light of the rainclouds outside. No one could see. No one had to know. And Cloud was beautiful against the glass, the way he arched his head back, fighting to hold back sound, fighting against surrender. Rufus knew how it would end. He knew before they had even begun. And when he pressed into the smaller body, one hand entangled in damp strands of blond hair, the other touching and stroking, he was rewarded with surrender, with sound, an anguished cry that hid a keen of pleasure. He licked his fingers and tasted victory, let Cloud suck on his fingers and taste surrender, loved the eagerness in the desperate motions of Cloud's lips and tongue.

Then there came another kiss, and Rufus could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand as Cloud kissed back, with lips like ice, like the cold of the glass, a darting tongue that stung with the taste of his spend and the sharpness of something else, a lurking blade in the dark, the sharp sudden glare of a green mist in those blue eyes, smothering... and he smirked, a smile that wasn't his own, before pulling Rufus closer and biting him where neck met shoulder, hard enough that Rufus grit his teeth to fight back his own cry--he would not yield, not to this--and then they separated, and Cloud wrote something in the frost on the windows, in letters that Rufus recognized and knew to be not Cloud's own, and then the door closed behind the commander, and Rufus was still staring at the word in the frost.

***

The next day he ignored Reno when the Turk asked about the healing wound near his neck, and ordered the Turks to leave him alone until he called for them. It was just as well; Valentine had something he wanted them to do, and they had to keep up appearances that Valentine did have some control over them.

He watched the tape his personal security system had captured of his meeting with Cloud.

Though he was not a superstitious man--as a businessman, as a Shinra, he couldn't afford to be superstitious--Rufus began to have great doubts concerning Avalanche's belief that the old Commander was as dead and gone as they wanted to believe.

***

Melantha began to type in the code to lock the door to her private lab when a voice said, "If you have a moment, doctor?" She gasped, turned to see Rufus leaning against her office door.

"Sir? I didn't--"

"It's all right, Melantha," Rufus said. "The Turks are outside, and I'd rather keep this meeting off the record, for reasons that should become obvious."

Melantha paused. "The tests."

"Yes. I think you know what I mean?" He pushed himself from the door, went to her desk and admired one of her flowering plants. "You've had more than enough time to analyze Strife's blood sample."

"Even so, I make my reports to Valentine first--"

"Valentine's not here and he won't be back for several days," Rufus countered in a reasonable tone. "And believe me, I don't plan on telling anyone, even Strife, unless it becomes absolutely necessary." He glanced up at her. "I hope you don't mind me being blunt, doctor, but events occurring outside of the labs render this information vital."

Melantha stared at him, hesitated, and opened the door to her lab. He nodded to her, stepped inside, and she followed him. He sat perched on one of her stools as she turned and considered her words.

"Strife... The Commander isn't a Clone. He's... The closest thing I can come up with is... a carrier."

"Carrier?"

The doctor went to one of her work counters, and opened one of the folders. "It was hard to carry out the tests. It was as if they knew what was happening." She smiled, but with no humor as she turned back to face him and shrugged. "It seems that Sephiroth favors the effect of Masamune so much that all of his weapons--even those on the cellular level--endeavor to leave no trace. The first time I attempted to get a good look at Strife's cells, I had a small fire on my hands." She gestured further down the counter, and Rufus noticed for the first time the burnt metal and the twisted remains of a microscope.

"His blood caught fire?" he murmured in disbelief.

"I think the popular term for such a thing these days is spontaneous combustion," Melantha said. "However, I got it under control, and the next batch I attempted to observe behaved itself, but only because I kept the sample frozen from that point on. The cells were then, for the most part, dormant. I used one of the techniques Gast's team developed when studying the original Jenova specimen." She took a few printouts from the folder and handed them to him. "That's one of Cloud's cells."

Rufus stared at the printout. He hadn't had much experience in science, but he knew enough to know that the circular thing latched onto the nucleus of the cell wasn't supposed to be there. "Doctor?"

Melantha nodded. "If you want something for comparison, I have printouts of a typical Soldier's cell, the cell of one of the Clones... and the old data Hojo collected from Sephiroth. While the Soldier's and Clone's cells have Jenova's cells in each of them, and Sephiroth's cells are by far the most complex I've ever seen in any lifeform, even some of the monsters... none of them have that strange body connected to the nucleus. That body is its own complete cell, with its own nucleus, DNA, RNA, Jenova-type cellular mechanisms... That, is Sephiroth."

The copresident said nothing for a time, and then, "What are Sephiroth's cells doing to him...?"

"I've taken multiple DNA tests of the sample," Melantha said quietly. "While it's true that mutations occur in everyone's cells, the basic DNA stays the same. That's how we're able to keep track of someone's identity in that way; it's his or her cellular fingerprint. That's why all Soldiers are required to have blood samples taken throughout the various stages of induction, in order for the Shinra to update their records of the Soldiers' cellular identities, as well as study just what occurs during those stages. After the induction has gone through to completion, that final DNA fingerprint should remain the same. Strife's DNA, in that single blood sample, had already changed rapidly in the course of a single day."

Rufus looked up from the printout. "Changed in what way?"

"Well, in the case of the blood sample," Melantha said, walking to the doorway of one of her vault-like freezers, "I had to destroy it." She entered a code, and pulled open the heavy metal door. "I'm going to have to request someone to clean the mess, soon."

Rufus left the printouts on the stool, and walked to the door. He stared inside at the remains of the freezer, and nodded. "A monster."

"All of the Jenova-type samples in the freezer burst from their containers, even though they were frozen," Melantha said. "The cells, from what I could tell, gathered, reproduced, changed... I should have kept Strife's sample separate, I should have known, but..." She shut the door and locked it again. "I guess I must be a threat. If I hadn't pumped that freezer with gas and caused an explosion inside, whatever that creature was going to become would have gotten out somehow. I don't doubt it."

"Or we could have had another batch of eggs right under our noses," Rufus said. He took a deep breath, and nodded. "It's probably just as well. I'd have to ask you to destroy the blood sample anyway."

"And the printouts and the rest of the information?"

He looked at her with a grim smile. "You know, then."

She nodded. "I've worked with the Shinra for too long not to know. If anyone else does know about this, Cloud Strife is going to wind up someplace worse than the mental institution, and I can't bear to see that." She paused. "I'm... not so sure Sephiroth would allow it, either."

"You can't think of anything off the top of your head that could counteract--"

She shook her head. "There's no such 'cure' for the Jenova-type cells. And Sephiroth's cells are even more complex than hers... The only thing that could stop what is happening would be a destruction of the consciousness that's controlling those cells; I don't doubt that there is some sort of will out there that's conducting all of this. Otherwise, Strife himself would be doing just as the sample had done..."

Rufus turned toward the door. "Thank you, doctor."

"Sir?" Melantha followed him outside, locked up her lab and grabbed her own coat to leave, and Rufus paused at the door to answer her inquisitive tone with a brief nod. "What are you going to do?"

"I should think the answer obvious," he said. "I'll order you a personal escort from here on out, doctor. Keep up the good work."

***

They were going to arrive at Wutai on schedule, which made Zack happy because he was starting to feel cramped, and although he was glad that Cloud wasn't motion sick, he was alarmed by just how long his young friend had been asleep.

"Hey, Vincent?" he said after the pilot announced they'd be landing in Wutai within a half hour.

The other dark-haired man looked at him and made a questioning sound; the flight was too long to spend the entirety of it annoyed.

"Does Cloud's motion sickness medicine normally put him out like this?"

Vincent's face was as apathetic as usual, but Zack was unnerved by the other man's silence--he was taking too long thinking. "Are you sure that was motion sickness medicine?" he finally asked, his brow furrowing.

"Shit. What else could it be?"

"Check his pulse."

Zack did, then cupped his hand over Cloud's nose and mouth. "This... is weird. He's never been this relaxed--hey, where are you going?"

Vincent shook his head. "Just to the cargo bay. I'll be back with an answer."

Zack did wait, unable to believe that Cloud was so relaxed, his limbs limp, his face calm... not reserved or clenched or just painfully held together like usual. Vincent came back a few minutes later, and as he sat down he murmured, "It's the medicine Gren prescribed."

"The hell...?" But before they could discuss it further, Cloud stirred, lifting his head from Zack's shoulder. He yawned, looked at Zack and Vincent dazily.

"'Tai...?"

Zack smiled. "Almost, Cloud. I think you woke up just in time."

***

Vincent watched as Cloud went about waking, his movements more relaxed and definitely slower than usual. He remembered the few times he had seen Cloud on the drugs prescribed by Professor Gren enough to recognize the effects now, certainly, and though he considered the drug itself with ambivalence, he found Cloud's sudden decision to take it more puzzling.

 _He doesn't do anything like that without a reason,_ he thought, as the airship came in for the landing. _And he certainly wouldn't lie--not to Zack--about that without a reason._

The airship came down in Wutai's new and only airbase, located on the southern tip of the island. The landing strip was little more than a clearing beside the foothills of the archipelago's famous mountain range, but the landing was as good as one could hope for and Cloud didn't seem too disturbed by the bumps at the end, though he was relieved when the airship gave one last shudder and sat still.

When the boarding ramp was lowered, Vincent was the first to disembark, only to hear a loud cry before he was over-enthusiastically greeted by Yuffie. The near-tackle caused him to stagger back as she attempted to squeeze the air from his lungs, but then she finally let go and stepped back to let him breathe.

"How ya doin', Vince?"

"Fairly well, Yuffie, considering I just had the air knocked from me."

"You'll be all right." Hearing a laugh from the top of the boarding ramp, Yuffie's eyes darted up and took in Zack, her eyes widening. "Zack? Zack Donovan?! Sugoi! Reeve told me about you, welcome to Wutai!" And the moment his feet touched solid ground she had tackled him as well, but Vincent ignored Zack's reaction--"Hey, so you're Godo's daughter, huh?"--to look up as Cloud watched from the top of the ramp, his expression one of quiet amusement. He came down with Cait Sith bounding down behind him, and Yuffie immediately let go of Zack. Instead of attacking Cloud with a greeting like she had the other two, she waited for him patiently and only smiled. "Ne, nii-san, ogenki desu ka?"

"Mm." Cloud returned the smile, and Vincent watched with more surprise as the young ninja only gave him a much more gentle--still enthusiastic, but gentle--hug. She then started rattling things off in a bizarre combination of common and Wutanese, but Cloud didn't seem to have a hard time following her. Then she flitted over to Cait Sith to greet the robot with a wave and a hello, knowing better than to call Cait "Reeve" in front of Cloud.

Yuffie had arranged for a chocobo cart to be on hand, and their cargo was loaded up onto the cart and sent ahead. However, the party would have to walk to their destination, a mountain town called Nagano. Cait Sith went into auto-pilot mode, following Cloud at a measured distance while he and Yuffie took the lead as they left the airbase. Zack and Vincent took up the rear, watching as Yuffie continued to chat to Cloud as they followed the old dirt road.

"It's a little funny," Zack said quietly, and Vincent looked to him as they kept walking. Zack shrugged. "Well, I remember you telling me that Yuffie was one of you guys who didn't... but I wasn't expecting this."

"What did you expect?"

"I guess maybe it's just the type of ladies he's been around since I've been back, but..."

"Heh, no, I understand." He looked back to watch as Yuffie made a snatching motion and Cloud actually laughed. "During his time in the mental institution... Yuffie went in once to visit him alone. It was after the time that Yuffie and Tifa had visited him together and he had attacked them... So she was frightened when she went. But when she came out, she wouldn't tell us what had passed between them, and only told us that we needed to get Cloud out of there." Vincent paused, then said, "She has been calling him her 'older brother' ever since, and my only guess is that he told her something about Sephiroth, and she believed him."

"Weird. A girl her age..."

Vincent chuckled. "Most of us didn't think it possible, but she has matured. Somewhat."

"So, if that was his 'medicine'..." Zack shrugged. "You said you all used to like it, but he... definitely hasn't shown any signs of wanting to use it, so..."

"It did seem to relax him," Vincent said, stepping closer so he could lower his voice. "I think he might not have liked to use it because he thought it slowed him down, and considering the monster attacks and his duties, he probably thought it was more dangerous for him to take it."

"So is that the only thing it supposedly did?" Zack asked.

"I'm not entirely certain. It was supposed to help with some of the chemical imbalances... He did seem reasonably happy under its influence."

"Happy, huh?"

Vincent saw the other man's brow furrow, and said, "I know. We couldn't understand why he stopped--we encouraged him in small ways to keep taking it, and he would just say that he didn't think we should worry, that it was for the best, and stopped." A pause, and then, "Do you...?"

"Nothing I can be certain of, and I'd rather not talk about it right here in the open. It's just a hunch."

Vincent nodded with understanding. The walk was a long one, and the roads up into the mountains were nothing if not steep, but they came to Nagano with a few hours before sunset. The townspeople glanced at them but otherwise ignored them; Zack felt odd, remembering his early years in SOLDIER and Wutai in particular, but Cloud seemed at ease and Yuffie was still walking alongside him, though she must have run out of stories to tell. Or just run out of breath to tell them, since they had been walking so long.

However, the inn where they were staying wasn't actually inside Nagano. They passed through the village quickly and took another path, though this one was gentler on their feet than the others; the sloping of the mountains had become much less steep. It was after a thirty minute walk they arrived at gates of the inn. The sloping Wutanese roofs towered over the high walls surrounding the inn's complex, but Zack couldn't help but think that the place looked well-fortified for a hot springs inn.

Cloud looked back over his shoulder at Zack and Vincent, and grinned when he saw the look on Zack's face. "Yuffie's father and their ancestors used to come here. It's... an exclusive inn."

They all waited politely at the entrance as the inn's hostess appeared at the gate and the introductions began. The hostess's name was Makoto, and she was a middle-aged, traditionally dressed Wutanese woman with a round face and a warm smile. She bowed to all of them formally, spoke to them kindly, and before long was leading them inside. Makoto showed them to their particular suite of rooms, then led them on a tour of the grounds.

Vincent's Turk mind already took note of every small detail, and a look at Cloud and Zack's direction showed that they were also paying close attention to the layout of the inn. The gardens, the placement of the walls, the direction of the hot springs... It all needed to be memorized before any risks were taken.

Finally, the tour ended and they were taken to the garden, to snack on peaches before they discussed what they were going to do the next day at dinner. Dinner was held in one of the larger halls, and Zack couldn't help but be thankful that they were dining with the Wutanese princess when the maids brought out tray after tray of food, before finally leaving so they could discuss their plans in peace. The moon and stars had taken the sun's coveted place in the sky, and for awhile they sat in silence, thoughtful, Cait Sith powered down in the corner.

"First thing on the agenda is to find that plant, right?" Zack asked finally, pouring himself some more tea.

Cloud shook his head. "We'll waste less time if we split up. I don't want to spend too long out here; I'm worried about Junon. So, I want us to split into two groups. One group will go out looking for the evening sun. The other will go out and speak with one of our contacts... see if we can't find Shin. His gang tends to hang out in the Nagano area, so it should be fine."

"Kurai, huh?" Yuffie said, wrinkling her nose. "Dammit, he's involved in this?"

Zack blinked. "Why? What's up with him now?"

"You know about Kurai?"

"I told him briefly about the problem a few years ago," Vincent said, glancing at Cloud for any odd reaction, but the blond seemed to be concentrating on holding his chopsticks correctly to eat his rice.

"Well, he's not been up to anything more than standard yakuza idiocy." Yuffie crossed her arms, glaring at her own bowl of unfinished rice. "At least, from what we know. His thugs haven't terrorized any of the civilians, so we've just kept a careful eye on them." Suddenly she grinned. "Hey, could I come along? I want to see him myself--"

"Yuffie will come with me, and help me search for the evening sun. Zack, Vincent, and Cait Sith will go into the town or any nearby settlements and find Shin." He put down his chopsticks and took one last sip of his tea.

Yuffie blinked. "Oh. Sure."

Zack was surprised that Yuffie was so quickly pacified, but decided he would go along with Yuffie and not question Cloud's decision.

"We should arrange a meeting with Kurai?" Vincent asked.

"Shin won't accept immediately, not even if you drop my name... but if you can, don't. I'd rather him not know I'm here."

"Advantage of surprise?"

"Something like that." Cloud smiled, but it held no humor. "It doesn't matter. We'll attract enough attention when we burn one of his little gardens. We'll all head out in the morning, at sunrise. Someone be sure to tell Cait Sith when he wakes up." He stood, then drifted out of the room, where one of the maids waited to lead him.

Yuffie stared after him, then looked long and hard at the two dark-haired men sitting across the table from her. Zack blinked, Vincent watched her back with his typical apathy, and she locked her hands behind her head and grinned.

"You boys're gonna behave, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zack countered.

"Well, just don't go fighting each other when you're out on the job," she said, hopping up onto her feet. "See ya tomorrow!"

Zack stared after the young ninja, then looked at Vincent, who had gone back to finishing up his steamed rice. "Wait, how the hell does she know?"

"The Planet only knows. Eat and get to bed."

***

Cloud drifted into his private room after a quick shower--one of the establishments newest additions, the maid had told him, eastern-style showers in all of the bathrooms--wearing only a light blue yukata. Though he hadn't taken any more of his medicine, he still felt a trickle of--something, he wasn't sure what it was, something cold but pleasant and unmistakably happy--

He nudged his futon with his toe, opened the rice-paper screen door to the garden and stared for a few moments, but it was too cold for that and he shut it again. He lay down on the futon and pulled up the various blankets and the quilt that the maid had left out for him, settled down with his back to the garden and hoping that sleep would come and when it did it was dreamless.

Sleep did not come immediately, nor was it dreamless. Instead, he watched the moon in a daze when one of the doors slid open to let in its light, and he felt two warm arms around him, lips pressing their smile against his skin...

***

The next morning, Zack woke up when he heard a short rapping outside the door. He blinked open his eyes and sat up, noticed how dark everything seemed, saw Vincent rise as well. The other dark-haired man drew up his claw over his arm and latched it into place; Zack couldn't remember seeing him take it off in the evening. He didn't say anything about it, though, and they got ready in silence. When they went back into the hall, they found Cloud already there, eating some fruit and filling Cait Sith in on their plans.

"So we're off to find this Shin, nya?"

Cloud nodded. "Think you'll be all right?"

"Sure, but why send me out after the yakuza?"

"You'll navigate the streets better than the mountains," Cloud murmured, his hand absently scratching the robotic cat. "And I need you to record everything that happens. If we have to, we can use any recordings of them as blackmail; if we threaten to reveal an entire city or hideout straight to Lord Godo, they might be more likely to listen to us."

Cait nodded, and looked up as Zack and Vincent sat down at opposite sides of the table, helping themselves to the light foods the maids left out for their breakfast. "Nya, g'morning. Sleep well?"

Zack again didn't want to think about how badly this trip was wrecking Reeve's sleep schedule, but he smiled. "Pretty well, Cait."

The cat bounded away to clamber on top of his moogle. "What about Yuffie?"

"I knocked on her door and had a shuriken tossed at me, so she should be here soon," Cloud said. "You'll start in Nagano, and if that doesn't work, the western road leads to another town nearby."

"Think it'll be that hard?" Zack asked Vincent, and the older man shrugged.

"I'm sure someone in one of Kurai's gangs saw the airship yesterday," Vincent said. "They'll be looking for us, I imagine."

"All the more reason for me and Yuffie to keep out of sight," Cloud said, just as one of the doors opened and Yuffie came in. She sat down with a groan and a sour look at Cloud.

"Why do we have to get up so early to run around the mountainside, nii-san?"

Cloud just handed her a plum. She took it, stuck her tongue out at him, but she seemed to be in a better mood already.

Zack, Vincent, and Caith Sith left not long afterwards. The sun had finally started to rise, tinging the sky in the east; after being in Junon for so long, Zack was glad to see a sunrise for once instead of a sunset. The Junon cliffs just didn't allow for that. And few things, as he and Cloud had both observed, are as glorious as a sunrise in the mountains.

By the time they reached Nagano there were vendors already out on the streets, setting up their shops as the sun climbed higher into the sky. A few of the townspeople stopped to ask if they'd like some sight-seeing brochures, and one man approached Zack to ask if he'd like to meet any young Wutai girls.

Zack laughed, but then with a low voice asked in Wutanese, "Maa, it's a bit early for that, isn't it?"

The man seemed surprised, then grinned and said back, "Very true. But you're interested, yes?"

Zack glanced at the others. Vincent had stepped into one of the teahouses, and Cait Sith was busy entertaining a group of children. "Well, it depends. How good are they?"

"Ah, very very good," and the man stepped closer. "They serve some very high-paying clients."

"High-paying?" He scratched his chin, made sure that no one else nearby could hear. "High-paying clients... Sounds like you're offering me an oasis."

All of the man's friendliness vanished. He stopped and stared, especially as Zack continued with his charming grin.

"How can I know you're not offering me a mirage?"

A smile of a different sort graced the man's face. "I only offer the real thing. You are welcome to... wet your throat at my oasis. And if you like what you see... perhaps you will come back for more?"

Zack reached into his jacket and drew out a long rope strung with Wutanese currency--Yuffie had handed them all a fair amount. He pulled it out just long enough for the man's eyes to see that the chain of coins disappeared into his inner jacket pocket, and then Zack quickly made it disappear again. "I wouldn't mind," he said, "so long as it comes straight from the source." Zack nodded over his shoulder when he heard the familiar footsteps of Vincent come out from the teahouse and approach him. "I have a friend with me, too, who's also interested. He also has quite a bit of money."

The man glanced at Vincent, and then Cait Sith. "Ha, I see. I will arrange a meeting for you. At noon, go back to that teahouse and we shall talk further."

He hurried away as Vincent joined Zack, and when Vincent looked at him questioningly, Zack grinned.

"They don't do a good job hiding things here."

"They don't have to," Vincent said. "Nagano's next door to a yakuza hideout. The mama-san at the teahouse was reluctant to speak, but..."

"The minute you dropped the name oasis she began to talk?"

"Heh. You too, eh?"

"Yeah. I've got the feeling that there's quite a few of Kurai's boys here in town."

"So long as none of them actually saw Cloud or recognized him yesterday when we came through," Vincent murmured. "When are we meeting...?"

"Noon, your teahouse. I think we're going to have to do a bit of business dealing before we can meet the yakuza themselves."

"Understandable. Right, until then, let's check out this town a bit more. Meet me in front of the weapons vendor in two hours. Cait Sith's going to use his fortune telling gig at the inns and restaurants to see what he can find out through the normal conversation. He might manage to get something out of the children, as well."

"Gotcha. Well, let's move out."

***

The two hours passed, and Vincent returned to the front of the weapons vendor's stall to find Zack and Cait Sith waiting for him. He motioned for them to follow him, and Zack quickly bought one of the vendor's katana before he and Cait Sith followed him.

Vincent led them to the outskirts of Nagano, on the southwestern end of the town. At the fringes of the town they encountered buildings that were more delapidated, walls that had collapsed, even remains of burnt down houses... He stopped at the mouth of an alley, and Zack and Cait Sith looked down the narrow path between two ruined buildings to see a man writhing on the floor. He didn't make any sound, though his face was twisted into a grotesque expression of either pain or joy--Vincent hadn't been able to tell when he found the man, and still couldn't figure it out.

Zack started forward but Vincent stopped him, barred his way with the claw.

"But Vincent--"

"He OD'ed. There's nothing we can do."

"You mean...?"

"I came back here when I saw a young man dart out. He had a katana on him, and moved quickly into the real Nagano streets. I heard a cry, came back here, found him leaning on the wall. I think he had just taken his overdose." Vincent raised his human hand, holding up a plastic bag with only three small pills at the bottom. "I found this and some loose change in his wallet--the rest of it had been used in getting these. When I touched him, he fell over gasping and..." Vincent stopped, shook his head. "Hallucinating. In extreme pleasure. It fits what Melantha told us, and everything that we've heard about this drug."

"Shit..." Zack paused, looked around. "This section of the neighborhood..."

"There's a new name for this area," Vincent said softly, and Cait Sith's ears perked up in their direction, although the black-and-white cat was staring off down the empty roads, keeping a look-out for anyone. "They call it Nirvana. Apparently, this is where you come when you want to pass away into supreme bliss."

"This isn't exactly where I'd want to get snuffed out," Zack muttered, then shuddered and turned away. "Let's go. Should we tell anyone about him?"

Vincent shook his head. "From what little else I got from the villagers, this has been going for some time. There's no one left here, and apparently 'the monsters' come for the bodies in the night. So this keeps them and the yakuza happy, and there seems to be quite a few people who come here addicted who think that this is the best place to die."

"Monsters, nya?" Cait squeaked. "You don't think they're actually... just letting monsters in?"

"If so, I suspect they're much more like the monsters we've seen lately in Junon," Vincent said. "We should get back to the teahouse. It will be noon soon."

***

Cloud stopped along the trail, looking up at the sky, the sunlight sifting through the pines. "It's noon," he murmured. Yuffie, ahead of him, stopped and looked back at him in confusion.

"Nii-san?"

"Nothing..." He shook his head, looked back at her with a small smile. "You all right? We've been on our feet for a long time now."

"I would love to," she said, and sank down immediately to the ground. It wasn't very comfortable; the path was little more than a trail where the grass had been tramped down after repeated use. The ground was evening out somewhat, though not far back there had been sharp rises on either side of the path, and there wasn't as much soil as there seemed to be rock and moss and pines. "Maa, I thought we'd have found something already. This is one of the old yakuza routes--they used to use it to get back and forth from one of their old hide-outs to the main road."

"How far away are we from Nagano?" Cloud asked, and she shrugged.

"Pretty far. We're closer to the smaller town."

"It doesn't have a name?"

She grinned. "The red-light boonies, maybe?" She began to giggle. "You're blushing, nii-san!"

"Well--I just--" Before he could stammer out anything else, a sound caught his attention and he turned, looking downhill to see a fall of long silver hair and blackness disappearing behind a stand of trees. "Yuffie. We..."

"Nii-san, are you all right? You turned white..." She stood up, joined him at his side, looked down. "What is it?"

"Let's go down here." He began looking for the best way to do so, and, holding onto a nearby pine for support, leaned out to notice that, further up the path, there was a section of stones and old logs set into the thin soil... almost like steps. "Wait. Let's do it up there."

"Up where? Nii-san, matte!"

Cloud moved past her and stepped down carefully, urging her to be careful because the "steps" were steep. They climbed several of the steps before Yuffie complained about a strange smell on the wind, something sweet, and after exchanging glances they pulled on their masks. Even though they were little more than thick cloth bandannas covering the mouth and nose, it definitely helped to diminish the smell. They continued going down the side until the ground suddenly evened out and the trees formed a grove, filled with plants of dark green leaves and flowers with dark violet petals. Cloud moved to the nearest plant, a small one, and knelt down beside it, inspecting one of the blooms to be sure, but it was the evening sun all right; the heart of each blossom, the petal was a violet so pale and bright compared to the dark tinge of the outer petal... He looked up at Yuffie.

"Do you have the jar?"

She nodded, started to get down beside him before a shuriken whizzed past her ear, embedding itself in the nearest tree. She dropped down immediately and drew her own Conformer, ready to toss it the instant their attacker showed himself.

"Oi, you two move and we'll mow you down," drawled a voice in Wutanese. Cloud turned his head to watch as a man in a business suit, carrying a machine gun, stepped out across the other side of the grove. The man snarled when he saw Cloud, kept the weapon aimed at him. "I told you not to move, goddamned foreigner." He shouted. "Haruka-san! We've got a Shinra pig and a Wutanese bitch here--"

The man's expression changed from spite to sheer horror as blood spurted from where his hand used to be; hand and machine gun crashed to the floor before a dagger was driven into his chest. Yuffie stared in disbelief as Cloud pulled out the dagger and ran it across the man's throat before ducking down and dashing off into the trees. She couldn't see who he was attacking or where; she could only follow the screams and confused shouting before everything fell silent and he stepped out again with blood spattered all around him. He flicked the dagger free of blood--was it steaming?--and tucked it away, began wiping the blood from himself with a handkerchief he must have grabbed from the yakuza before wiping down his blade. He came closer.

"You all right?" he asked, and she shivered again; his voice had gone cold.

"I'm... okay," she said with a nod. "Are they all--?"

"I don't want Kurai to know that I'm here," Cloud said, putting the Ultima Weapon to his back and kneeling down. "I'll get the plant." He handed her a small, marble-sized green orb. "You light this little garden of his on fire for me."

She blinked. "Materia? But where...?"

He was using a plain dagger to dig around the plant, making sure to scoop some of the soil into the jar she placed beside him. "I had some materia taken from the vaults before we left."

"Do the others know?"

"No." He smiled at her, and warmth seeped back into his voice. "It's all right. We're far enough away from Junon... we should be safe. And I brought them for you--for Wutai--so the others don't need to know. With the Shinra concentrating so much on what's going on in Junon right now, Wutai's vulnerable. Your father still hasn't had the time to build up a reliable army again."

"You think Kurai's going to try something again?"

"He might." He shook his head, began to pull up the plant. "If not him, then one of the other bosses. Let's hurry, all right?"

***

The noon meeting was relatively brief; it only took an hour for Zack and Vincent to convince the man that they were sincere in their interests and would appreciate their contact arranging a meeting. The man wanted more proof that they were high-ranking officials from the Shinra, and finally Vincent surprised Zack by casually mentioning that there was one other guest with them that was even higher ranking than themselves, and far more rich, and somewhat involved with the royalty of Wutai.

Zack had to admit, Vincent wasn't exactly lying, but judging by how quickly their contact snapped up the bait, it seemed to be the only way to secure a good arrangement. The man stuttered and begged them to wait, please, just one moment--and when he returned, he bowed low and asked them to walk with their guest to the small town down the western road, and to wait in the first inn until sunset. He asked them forgiveness for the inconvenience, which Vincent just answered by slipping some Wutanese coins across the room's low-lying table before standing up. They left, Cait Sith bounding out after them, and none of them said a word until they reached the path leading up to the hot springs resort.

"That didn't go so badly," Zack said as they started up.

"But why'd they accept your bargaining chip so easily, Vincent?" Cait asked, without any of his usual playful accent. "They didn't ask for proof?"

"I noticed that as well," Vincent said. "My only guess is that someone who has seen one of us before was watching the entire time. The man left to speak to his superior, obviously..."

"Well..." Zack shrugged. "If it was Shin... He had seen me before, with the Turks, remember?"

"That's what I think. They know the Turks answer straight to Rufus... Perhaps that's who they think we have with us?" He looked at Zack, grinned. "Won't they be surprised?"


	11. Chapter 11

Returning to the hot springs inn, Vincent, Zack, and Cait Sith were greeted by Yuffie. She led them to the room Cloud had taken, and showed them the jar that held the sample of evening sun. Hefting it up, she handed it over to Zack, who held it closer so he could get a better look at the flower. Melantha had said that it was a special jar; the lid had been designed for the transfer of dangerous plant specimens, so while the plant could receive air, the air released was filtered to stop the spores.

"This is what's causing all the problems, huh?" he muttered, and she nodded.

"Took a while for us to get the whole garden to burn, but we managed," Yuffie grinned. "You guys?"

Cait poked at the glass jar. "We did get an arrangement, but..."

"Where is Cloud?" This came from Vincent.

"Ah, last time I checked he was sitting out in the garden. He said he needed some time alone, so..."

"I'll inform Cloud," Vincent said, opening the sliding doors that led to the private courtyard. "Will you two fill in Yuffie?"

"Sure?" Zack said as the door slid closed behind the other man.

"Funny." Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "I didn't even mention that Cloud was only wearing a yukata."

"What?" Zack blurted, just as Cait said, more curiously, "What?"

***

It was cold enough outside that Vincent paused on the porch, felt it seeping past his clothes quickly. His eyes scanned the garden and found Cloud sitting beneath the cherry tree at the far side, beside the pond. One hand rested in Cloud's lap, the other in the water, and his head bowed; Vincent wondered if he was asleep, and decided against calling Cloud's name.

He knelt down beside Cloud, realized then that the hand dipped in the pond was unbandaged. He glanced again at Cloud's bowed head, noticed the lack of a Mako blue glow, and reached carefully with his human hand. The pond's water was chilling, and he winced when he felt how cold Cloud's arm was, let alone his hand and fingers. He began to dry Cloud's hand with his cloak, and noticed then how the chill had brought out a multitude of small white scars. Brow knitting, Vincent turned Cloud's hand over to look at the back, but suddenly the fingers twitched and the hand was snatched away, a gasp, and Vincent raised his claw in time to catch Cloud's other arm, straining to do so, as it held a familiar dagger--

"Gods, Vincent--" Cloud shook and dropped the dagger, and Vincent released his arm, watched as Cloud shrank back and rubbed his left hand, arm, looking at him with wide eyes. "What--I was--"

"You were asleep, Cloud-kun," Vincent said gently. "That was all."

"Asleep...?" Cloud ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath. "Gods, I'm sorry... I..." He looked around, reached with a hand for his white bandage. Vincent followed it and blinked in confusion--the dagger--Masamune's companion--was gone, and Cloud's hand snatched up the bandage and immediately began wrapping it around his hand, covering up the back of it before Vincent could see and making quick work of his arm.

Vincent did his best not to frown, from sorrow rather than from disappointment or even concern. But instead he said, "It's a bit cold to be out here in just a yukata, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I had thought about going to the hot springs, but wanted to hear from you..." Cloud awkwardly brought his legs under him, trying to keep the yukata from slipping open. Vincent helped him to his feet.

"I'm sorry. We should have made it back sooner."

"No. It's fine." Cloud stretched, rose up on his tiptoes as he raised his hands, then dropped them with a sigh and when he looked up at Vincent, the wide eyes of surprise and fear were gone, replaced with Cloud's usual calm. "Yuffie showed you?"

"Yes, the evening sun. They're probably still in your room."

"Did you find anything?"

"Even more than that. We've arranged a meeting with the ones who are dealing the oasis in this area. We're supposed to meet our men in the small town west of here..."

Cloud snickered. "The red light district of the boonies. Right. A natural den for yakuza." He shook his head when he read Vincent's confusion. "Nothing. Just something Yuffie had told me."

"Also, if it were Shin we were actually dealing with in the town... we think he might think that we have Rufus with us, not you."

At that Cloud blinked, then smothered another short laugh. "Heh... Well, we'll see."

They walked into the room in time to see Zack with Yuffie in a headlock, ignoring her squawks and the flailing of her arms as he gave her a noogie. Cait Sith was urging Zack on, but Cloud's laugh distracted them enough to allow Yuffie just enough time to twist out from Zack's hold and pull up onto his back, legs wrapped around his torso, one arm around his neck and the other attempting to ruffle his hair.

"Ha, take that--gah, wait, stop it, not my--nii-san, he's not allowed to tickle--ah!"

The spectators winced at the impact as they both fell on the floor, but both bounded back up as sprightly as if they hadn't been caught "wrestling."

"Done playing?" Vincent asked, though his own voice was not without its own tinge of humor.

"Yes!" Zack and Yuffie chimed at once, and Cloud shook his head.

"You're so energetic, I wish I could say you're coming with us tonight, Yuffie."

"Wha--?! You mean I'm not?!"

"I want you and Cait Sith to stay here and guard the evening sun. I'm sure he has other gardens, but he can't just let someone take off with one of his precious plants; otherwise, someone else has a way of making oasis and he loses his monopoly. So, if he knows we have a 'captive' here, he might try to take it back." Cloud looked to Cait. "Do you mind? Good." He looked to Zack and Vincent. "We're supposed to meet them west of here, right?"

"In the first inn," Zack said, "and we have to be there at sunset."

"You need to get going soon, then," Yuffie said. "By foot it might take awhile... especially since the road between here and there isn't exactly safe." When the others looked at her curiously, she shrugged. "This spot's always been bad for travel because of monsters. They stay out of towns mostly, and we haven't heard of an attack on any travellers since the yakuza got forced out of the capitol, so..." She scratched the back of her head. "That's actually why we thought they must have been in this area. No monster attacks...? Means somebody's transporting something valuable along the roads, and any monster attacks happening just aren't getting reported because somebody doesn't want anyone else snooping around down here..."

Vincent nodded. "Makes sense."

"Good." She grinned. "'Cause I was the one who figured it out."

Before any of the others could remark on that, a soft mumble caused them to look at Cloud, shifting in the yukata and holding his uniform in his hands. "If we need to leave soon, could I get the chance to change back into my uniform?"

***

Cloud emerged in his uniform, pulled on his long coat and settled the Ultima Weapon at his back. Zack and Vincent had decided it would be a good idea to go dressed warmly as well; Vincent's old outfit with the crimson cloak allowed for several hiding places for extra weapons, as did Zack's jacket. They set out on the road after Yuffie gave them some cautionary directions, and so they started walking.

Zack and Vincent used the time to tell Cloud about the rest of their morning, including their discovery of "Nirvana." Cloud seemed more disturbed about that than they had been, and when pressed he only shook his head, though Vincent and Zack exchanged glances; they could both feel Cloud's worry.

The sun was well on its way to meet the mountains ahead of them when they first glimpsed the buildings making up the small "town." After having heard what Yuffie had said about the place, they weren't surprised to see women in yukata with their belts tied in the front instead of the back, lurking on the porches of a few buildings or in the shadows of the alleys of others. What caught their attentions more than the women, however, were the short glimpses of dark-clothed men that were constantly shifting out of their sight.

Cloud stopped and tersely asked one of the street walkers where the first restaurant was in Wutanese, and the young woman pointed to a building that she claimed to be the only "straight restaurant" in the town. He thanked her and they went to the building.

Considering the way the outside looked, they hadn't expected to find the restaurant to be as well-kept as it was, but the wood was polished, the tatami mats new, and they were greeted immediately by a young woman who bowed and told them that they were expected. The restaurant was already receiving clients even given the hour, but instead of being shown to one of the normal tables, the woman led them into a room similar to the one in the tea house. It was small, surrounded on all sides by the rice paper doors and walls, and the main piece of furniture was the low-lying table in the center. They sat on the cushions, one on each side of the square table, and waited. A few moments passed and the waitress returned, kneeling down to pour them tea. She left again, and Zack sighed.

"Why is it that even the yakuza have a formal way of doing things?"

Vincent only glanced at the rice paper walls, listening. "At least I don't think it's a trap."

"Kurai wouldn't resort to that, not now," Cloud murmured, sipping from his teacup. "It's a waiting game. They want to make sure we're sincere."

"They must not know you're not Rufus, then," Vincent said. "I'd thought they'd be eager to do business as soon as they knew."

Their leader shrugged. "But if they've been lax enough not to notice me by now, then their attentions are turned elsewhere. That bothers me."

And it was a waiting game, because one of the waitresses entered the room again to refill their cups and light two hanging lanterns before they heard some approaching footsteps, stopping right beside one of the doors after the waitress left.

"Ready?" The drawl of the voice was familiar, and Zack recognized it to be Shin's all right.

Cloud calmly finished his green tea before glancing to his two companions and standing. They stood as well, and the man behind the door slid it open. Shin of course stood there, though alone, and wearing traditional Wutanese men's clothing.

"Cloud-san."

"Shin." Cloud did not return the man's slight nod, and instead motioned ahead. "Go on. We'll follow."

Shin did as Cloud said, walking easily ahead. The rest of the restaurant did not grow quiet or still as they passed by; Zack noticed a good number of them watching them while continuing their conversations, and wondered how many of them were officials, how many of them were yakuza, and how many were both. _Too bad Cait isn't along--Yuffie could probably use a recording of all these faces._

As they stepped outside, a group of men dressed similarly to Shin stopped their loitering and fell in around them, and with this strange escort they walked toward the fringes of the town.

The buildings grew farther apart, and Zack noticed there did seem to be one up ahead that, while not obviously bigger than the others around it, happened to be the only one with a wall. Though he doubted the wall afforded them much protection, he also guessed that, perhaps, this Kurai didn't need the extra protection.

They approached a gate, which opened just enough to let them go through in a single file line. Zack quickly surveyed the grounds as they continued to follow Shin on a small stone path towards the back of the building, but there was nothing, just grass, a few hedges, bare-limbed trees. They stopped before they reached the back, and Shin turned, suddenly ordering them to remove their weapons. Cloud did without hesitation, and so Zack and Vincent followed suit.

"Do not worry," Shin said with a knowing grin. "They will be returned."

Another door, this one reinforced and bolted, started to open as they approached, and Shin walked inside into a poorly-lit, stone-walled stairwell. Zack was surprised that Cloud did not hesitate before descending after their guide--he knew Cloud hated closed-in spaces--but made sure he did not let any emotion show. The yakuza were watching them all, and made no effort to hide the katana sheathed at their sides.

The stairwell continued for some time, until finally they reached a long stone hallway. It was lit by torches, and at the end there was yet another reinforced door. Shin knocked rythmically against the hardwood before it unlocked and opened, revealing yet another man dressed in a similar outfit to Shin's. He bowed as they passed, and the door slamming shut behind them was lost in an unusual and entirely unsuspected din.

Zack blinked. Out of all the things he expected to see in Kurai's hideout, a yakuza party was not one of them. But there were men and women sitting about various tables, some of them with every appearance of a respectable Wutanese official, others looking much more like Turks. Zack's eyes skimmed over them quickly, but was drawn to the center of the room where a crowd had gathered; some sort of fight was going on, and amidst the encouragement he could make out the occasional bet being given. The noise was loud but conversational, with the only exception being the occasional hollar from the crowd.

Shin led them through the various low tables and their occupants, down a short hallway around another corridor, until finally they stepped into another chamber, more well-lit than the first with multiple braziers. The room was full of many older, respectful men and only a scattered few younger; they all wore katana at their sides, and they all turned their heads to watch as Shin led them into the room. A calm, clear voice ordered something in Wutanese, and the men separated, moving to either side of the room. Shin continued forward, as did Cloud, and the guards surrounding them stepped further to their sides, bowing when Shin bowed.

"Kurai-san."

"Shin-chan." It was that voice, and Zack blinked when he saw a man sitting on a raised dias before them, with only a thin cushion beneath his knees as any sort of throne. On either side of him sat two young men wearing clothing that better suited the old ninja Zack had been forced to learn about before he was shipped off to the Wutai War; he wondered if their heavily gilded swords were mere decoration, a type of honor guard, but then his eyes turned back to the boss of bosses.

He remained on the floor, at first, and the first thing that struck Zack was that he was not built like a normal Wutanese man. He was obviously taller than most, and his dark red hair was the sort seen rarely in Wutanese stock, long and pulled back loosely at the nape of his neck. He wore black--black kimono and black hakama--and his kimono was loose enough that the hard planes of his chest were exposed; he was muscular, his physique lean but obviously strong, and the lines of his face struck Zack as disturbingly familiar. His eyes were dark, though, black against his pale features.

Kurai stood in one fluid motion, dark eyes meeting Cloud's unflinchingly. There was something about that gaze that put Zack on edge, and he could feel Vincent tense beside him, a subtle tightening of the air that became worse when Kurai smiled.

"Cloud-kun," he said, and nodded his head in a slight bow.

"Kurai." Cloud left off any honorific, and something about Kurai's smile twisted. "I need to speak to you. Alone."

"Alone? For what purpose?"

"To discuss business."

"I normally do not discuss business during the leisure hours of the evening, but for you, Cloud-kun... for you I will make an exception." He spoke commandingly in Wutanese; immediately the room cleared out of the other yakuza, leaving only Kurai and his two ornamental bodyguards. The minute following the last door closing was silent until Kurai spoke again. "Now, of what business do you wish to speak?"

"You know, Kurai." Cloud's eyes narrowed, the undercurrent of anger so strong in his voice that Zack became more worried by the situation. He hadn't realized feelings between the two ran so... strangely, and judging by Vincent's reactions, neither had he. "You should be thankful I had not known of your drug trade before, otherwise I would have had my sword down your throat before you could scream--"

"Ah, Cloud-kun, you forget," Kurai laughed, raising one hand as if to stop the smaller man. "I would have enjoyed it if you had."

"Your drug is killing innocent people!" Cloud snapped. "It's providing some madman with the means to produce monsters--"

"You mean like yourself?" Kurai cut in again, and that took the steam out of Cloud's charge. He stopped, stood still, and Kurai absently began to stroke the hilt of the sword at his hip. "Do not think that I have not prepared for this encounter, Cloud Strife," he said, drawing out the sounds of Cloud's name as if relishing every syllable. "I have. I have anticipated this meeting ever since our last, when you gave me the scar that mars my left arm. I have waited. I have planned. And I have harvested the evening sun, knowing you too would eventually come." Kurai took several bold steps forward, left hand raising as if to display the pale scar. Zack couldn't see Cloud tense but he could feel it as Kurai came even closer, until the tips of his fingers touched Cloud's face. "You accuse me of selling the evening sun. Perhaps this is true. But the monsters, dear Cloud-kun... cannot come from my flower alone."

"Who are you selling it to?" Cloud demanded, undeterred by Kurai's closeness.

"Don't you see?" Kurai continued, as if he had not even heard Cloud's question. "The evening sun only corrupts those that are too weak..."

"Like Jenova cells." Vincent's frown was slight, but he did not move as Kurai's gaze slid briefly to his.

"Perhaps," Kurai repeated. "Now..." His fingers twitched, and something in his eyes changed. "I must honor my contract with my benefactor, and will tell you nothing more. You've already burnt down one of my precious gardens, Cloud-kun. How will you repay your debt, since I have so generously given you more information?"

"You're mistaken," Cloud said. "I did not say I would pay you."

Another soft laugh. "I think you're the one mistaken." The sword at Kurai's side left its sheath, and the two bodyguards suddenly charged at Zack and Vincent. Zack cursed and ducked to the side to avoid the first swipe of sword, just as Vincent did the same, meanwhile Cloud was swiftly being driven back to the door.

"Shit!" Zack looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Cloud.

"Zack, you and Vincent find the weapons and armor, Shin will have them, I'll deal with--" His voice broke off with a sudden curse as he narrowly avoided Kurai's blade, and without any further orders he turned and darted out of the chamber, pursued by Kurai and his laughter.

Zack managed to land a punch to his attacker's jaw that swung the man's head back with an audible snap, and he dropped his blade, staggering and falling over. Zack ducked down and grabbed the katana, and turned to see Vincent's claw emerge out the back of the ninja that had attacked him. Vincent shoved the man off his claw, and looked up at Zack.

"Cloud?" Zack asked.

"Shin."

Zack nodded, and they looked to the doors as they were thrust open to a wall of yakuza, all of them drawing their swords, one or two carrying naginata. Zack took a deep breath, and together he and Vincent charged at the bristling wall.

***

Vincent had no worries that Cloud would be able to hold off Kurai long enough until they could find their weapons, so long as they hurried. Kurai's face, Kurai's laughter, Kurai's words--out of everything Cloud had told him, and how much he had thought he had known about their previous encounter, apparently there was much more.

He heard Zack avoid the first swipe of their pike-like naginata, heard the first cut made, but as the tide of armed men came pouring out the doors at them, Vincent jumped. He grabbed at one of the naginata jabbed at him and slid down the length of its haft straight on top of the man that had wielded it, tore it from the unconscious grasp and went into a turn, clearing out the entire first line of men around him.

"Shin, where are you?" Zack roared from nearby. "Coward!"

A high laugh echoed above their fighting, coming from the direction of the lobby where they had entered. "I'm right here, if you want me."

"Zack, I'm going to clear a path to him," Vincent growled as his companion struggled through the mob toward him. "Stay close behind me!"

"How the hell are you going to--Vincent?!"

Vincent didn't hear the last of Zack's words. It didn't take much at all, just one lick at the blood still wet on his claw, and immediately one of the yakuza blanched. Vincent could feel the blackness spreading out from his left arm, skin hardening into black scales, covering first one side of his face--his vision blurred and then became startingly clear--and he charged forward with a thrust of his horned head and the wings unfurling behind him. There were so many sensations welling up in his blood and in his head that Vincent felt on the verge of consciousness but forced himself to hang on, to greet Chaos in his mind with a single purpose that caused the monster to scream in anticipation.

 _Kill kill kill kill blood that stupid human's **blood** \--_

***

Zack remembered something Cloud had told him about Vincent's abilities, about the first time he had seen Vincent transform, but there was nothing that had actually prepared him for the reality, the demon that was flying, skimming the floor with wings spread, bowling men over and slicing them, tearing them open with claws. Zack would have had an easier time keeping up with him if the tide didn't threaten to close in after Chaos.

Still, there was a problem. They were approaching the end of the hallway, and there was a doorway that Chaos wouldn't be able to just fly through--but the demon kept going, laughed as he crashed through the thin walls, landed on his two feet and saw the officials and their women screaming and running away. Zack followed after Chaos, stepped into the room and they both saw Shin at the same time, lounging at the arena where there must have been some kind of competition going on before. There were their weapons, lying at Shin's feet, but before they could both go after him, Shin smirked and held up one hand, sheathed in a gauntlet, within which rested a single shining red crystal.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Zack muttered, but when he looked back over his shoulder he saw the other yakuza were wisely keeping back. He turned back to watch as Shin's summoning began, as a black window opened up in the air before them. First one black-and-red limb stretched out, and then another, and Zack could only stare as a demon, appearing very much like Chaos, emerged from the darkness. Its eyes settled on Chaos and Chaos charged at it, the two grappling and falling on the floor, the area shaking with their roars and screams.

Zack returned his glare to Shin, who had drawn his own katana and looked at Zack with a smirk.

"If you think you've just made it easier for yourself," Zack said, "you're underestimating me."

"If you think Cloud Strife stands a chance against our master now," Shin replied, "then you are the one who is mistaken."

"Kurai--" Zack started, but Shin shook his head, and said nothing else. While Chaos and the other monster continued their battle, Shin and Zack began theirs.

***

As much as Zack hated to admit it, Shin was better than he would have ever given him credit for. He met stroke for stroke with a precision that was startling, but there was something in his eyes that Zack did not think normal.

"What, you've been taking Kurai's drugs too?" Zack asked, and Shin laughed.

"Not quite." The yakuza glanced over Zack's shoulder. "Diablos is giving your friend a hard time."

"Vincent can take care of himself, and if you think you can distract me as easily as that...!" Shin had left him an opening; Zack took it. He shoved his blade forward, right through Shin's sternum, shoved the man away and watched as he fell over onto the ground, blood pooling out. There was something wrong with the blood, though; it was so dark it was almost black, and Zack hurried for his Buster Sword, picked it up in time to watch Shin picking himself back up, still grinning, though the face was much less like a human's and more like a reptile's; a forked tongue flicked out between growing fangs. Zack didn't let himself pause to stare. Before the transformation could continue he ran forward and cleaved the creature in half, flinched back from the blood that fell against his arm. It stung his skin like Mako.

Chaos howled, and Zack looked to watch as Diablos melted away into thin air. He looked back at the gauntlet, saw the materia grow dull. He yanked the gauntlet off from Shin's melting limb and looked up as Vincent picked himself up from the floor, holding a hand to his head and staggering toward Zack.

"Vincent, you all right?"

"Headache." Vincent reached him, and Zack handed him his weapons. "It will go away as soon as Chaos is asleep again."

"You want a potion?"

Vincent took the small vial from Zack gratefully and swallowed the entire batch in one go, tossing the glass aside when he was done. "I'll carry the Ultima Weapon."

Zack didn't argue, and handed it to Vincent with a shrug. "Hey, look here, too. Shin's little piece of armor has more than one materia. Feels like a sleeping one and fire." He slid it over his forearm, looked at the smaller pieces of materia set into slots along the forearm.

"That might make things easier," Vincent said, watching as Zack latched it into place.

"Right, shall we?"

They looked back towards the corridors, saw the remaining yakuza glaring at them.

"I personally think they're all zombies," Zack muttered. He heard the older man beside him chuckle.

"Let's cut them open and see, eh?"

***

Kurai still followed closely behind him, and Cloud continued to search desperately for some sort of weapon he could use to fight back. He finally saw a set of swords up on the wall besides the various other pieces of decor, and put in an extra burst of speed to reach it.

Cloud tore the katana from its place on the wall, and didn't have time to draw it from its sheath before Kurai took the opening. He swung the sword around to catch the blow; Kurai's sword glanced off the metal sheath and immediately changed direction, and with a curse Cloud dropped to the ground and rolled backward, hopping up onto his feet and noticing a sliding door beside him. He glanced at the door and then Kurai, who grinned at him before coming at him again. Cloud slid open the door and ran inside, pausing only to slam the door shut behind him, and suddenly found himself in what used to be a traditional Wutai indoor garden, but seemed overgrown by the evening sun. The flowering plant was everywhere, all over the floor, climbing up the walls. A purple mist followed the floor and ceiling, and Cloud clapped a hand over his nose and mouth immediately, trying to think of anything he had that might suffice as a face mask.

"You didn't honestly think I wouldn't have a ready supply close to home, did you?"

Cloud turned to watch as Kurai stepped inside, sliding the door shut behind him. He wore no mask, either, and still walked into the garden and to one of the climbing plants, fingers cupping one of the flowers.

"I find them to be beautiful. Beautiful, and deadly, and perhaps even better..." And here his eyes met Cloud's, "They are highly susceptible to genetic manipulation."

Cloud unsheathed the katana he had taken from the wall, dropping the scabbard and glancing at one of the nearby flowering plants. "Doesn't look any different," he murmured.

"No, not yet," Kurai said agreeably. "Block the entrance."

Cloud blinked, but before he could say anything, a slight rumble shook the ground and he had to plant his feet to steady himself. Multiple vines shot up from the ground in front of the door, growing thick and weaving through one another and then into the door itself to form a barrier. It was also then that Cloud could tell that there was something else coursing through the vines besides Mako and the plant's natural juices.

"Jenova cells?"

"It took my benefactor many years to perfect the process until we achieved the correct mixture of plant, Mako, and Jenova," Kurai said, stepping in front of Cloud. "But as you can see, it can be done."

"And what about the spores?"

"Don't you know? We'll be perfectly fine. The evening sun's poison must be highly concentrated in order to affect someone like us."

"Like us?"

"Mm." An explosion came from somewhere outside. Kurai did not move. "Your friends are amusing, Strife, but serve no other purpose than our amusement. You might as well forget about them."

"Stop saying 'our' and 'us'," Cloud said. "I have nothing to do with you."

"You have everything to do with me. You knew this back when we first spoke, when we first dueled, and you know this now."

A sudden tightening grip around his leg pulled Cloud's attention away from the yakuza boss and down to see one of the evening sun's vines coiling around his leg, and another circling about his forearm but had not moved to close around him yet. He immediately pulled back, but the vine circling his arm immediately moved in, tightening, and before he could switch his sword to his left hand and raise it to chop the vines off, he felt a sharp pricking all up his arm. Biting back a scream, he swung the katana; the evening sun whipped back and he pulled the vines away from his skin, glaring at the thorns that remained embedded in his forearm and then glaring at Kurai, who watched still, smiling.

"You..." he growled, and, ignoring the thorns, raised the sword and charged Kurai.

The battle was over before he even had the chance to attack. The pain in his arm suddenly shot through his whole body, electric, gripping enough to deaden all of his limbs at once. Cloud cried out and fell, curling around himself as the pain--familiar, familiar pain--spasmed through him.

Kurai stood over him, watching him knowingly. "I told you I had anticipated our meeting." He leaned down, grabbing the collar of Cloud's uniform and pulling him to his unsteady feet. He pulled Cloud across the room and shoved him up against the far wall, all of which was covered with vines. He shuddered as Kurai removed the three thorns jutting out from his skin, and it was only as a green haze began to settle over his sight that he thought he saw someone other than Kurai, caressing the skin of his arm before closing his hands around Cloud's wrists and pinning them to either side of Cloud's body.

"Sephir--" He cut himself off, his voice choking up as Kurai's gaze turned up to meet his own, and instead of the dark brown of before, Kurai's eyes were green and vibrant. The taller man then leaned his head forward, laughing softly.

"What's the matter?" Kurai hissed into Cloud's ear, his thumbs stroking the wrists he held captive in his fingers. Cloud shuddered despite himself, and then froze when he felt the grin pressed against his neck. "Is my voice familiar? My face? My eyes?" A pause, as Kurai's knee forced apart Cloud's legs, and suddenly the smile forced apart his lips. "My kiss...?"

Cloud screamed, or tried to before Kurai pressed against him, smothering the scream before it could get free. He first thought to bite, to push back, to squirm, but his eyes became locked with Kurai's own, and those eyes... the green in those eyes, that had been so dark before...

He shut his own eyes, shuddering before willing up the strength to push back. Kurai only took a few steps back, touching his fingers to his bleeding lips, the maddeningly familiar grin still in place.

"Such a naughty specimen," Kurai said, some loose strands of hair falling to either side of his face, framing it. "Our master is going to have to tighten your strings."

"You... how..." Cloud pushed himself back against the wall, his fingers choking the vines behind him. He couldn't bear to take his gaze away from Kurai's, not even for a moment, not even to find a sword.

"Are you really that surprised, Cloud-kun?" Kurai pressed on. Another explosion came from outside, and nearer, but the taller man still did not move. "Did you think that the task of producing the evening sun would be left to a mere human?"

"I am human," he whispered, shaking his head.

"Poor Cloud Strife," Kurai said with another, short laugh. More screams came from nearby, and Kurai advanced once more, drawing a dagger out from inside his kimono. "You know, Cloud-kun, no matter how you trick yourself into thinking you're running away," he said, lifting Cloud's left arm, pressing a kiss against the bandaged wrist, "you're only running back to him. It is almost time... We should go back to him, together."

"I will never run back to him," Cloud forced out. He could feel his legs weakening beneath him, his entire body threatening to give out. "I don't want to..."

"Keep running, then. You will see."

The dagger went into his side, slid into him as neatly, as sharply, as that smile into his skin.

***

"The door won't open!" Vincent cursed, trying at the door one more time. It was the last room down the hallway, and given the state of the furniture and decor on their way through the area, it could be the only place where Cloud and Kurai had gone.

"The walls in this place are thin, usually just rice paper, try that!" Zack called back to him, fighting to hold his own.

Taking a few long strides away from the door, Vincent used his claw to punch his way through the thin wall, while beside him he heard Zack take down another wave of Kurai's henchmen. It was only as Vincent fought to make his hole large enough for them to get through that the fires in the braziers suddenly changed color, going from brilliant red to green. Zack, who had been holding his ground right beside one of them, cursed and took a step back from the sudden increase of temperature and the coppery smell of the flame, but the henchmen immediately turned and ran.

"A signal?" Zack said, looking back to Vincent, who uncertainly held Cloud's sword and, with one awkward swing, cut through the thin wall at such an angle that all it took was a kick for it to fall in, giving them enough room to duck through. It was also, at the same time, that they heard a choked-off sound, and Vincent plunged in. Before Zack could get through, he heard Vincent curse and shout back to him.

"Don't come in! The evening sun!"

Zack hesitated at the opening, then, leaning down to look inside and automatically covered his nose and mouth with one hand when he saw the cloud of purple spores in the room, creating a haze that made it difficult to see far inside. He saw the shadow of Vincent running back toward the opening and got out of the way, following Vincent closely as the older man threw back his cloak, revealing Cloud and setting him on the floor. A sharp clang and a dagger, no longer clutched in Cloud's hands, hit the ground beside him; his side was red with blood but Vincent could see no wound.

Cloud was gasping, and he passed a bloodied, gloved hand over his face, the gasping turning to a hysterical laugh.

"Cloud?!" Zack said, inching closer, and Cloud turned onto his side, trying to smother a mixture of sobs and giggles.

"Sephiroth Clone," he managed to choke out, "and I never knew it!"

Vincent picked up the dagger, quickly inspecting it, but realized it was a normal dagger, though the blood that ran along its blade seemed riddled with Mako. Brow creasing, he pulled Cloud's shirt up to get a better look at the exposed skin, and nodded.

"Your blood. Cloud, he stabbed you?"

The laughter turned completely to sobbing, and Cloud's hands reached out for Zack, even as he tried to get out, "Like him, like him, I'm just like him--evening sun, drugs, Jenova, he--he--Za-kun, I'm just like him--stop it stop it please--please-- _please_ \--"

And before Cloud's hysterics could worsen, Zack nodded, and one of the materia on the gauntlet shimmered. In his arms, Cloud suddenly grew quiet, and then limp, and Zack and Vincent looked from Cloud to each other.

"Let's get out of here," Vincent said at last. Zack nodded, and gathered Cloud close to him as he stood. Vincent cast a powerful fire spell into the midst of the evening sun, and they left to find themselves standing in an abandoned yard beside a building that was going up in purple-tinged smoke, while Cloud slept dreamlessly in Zack's arms, one hand over the wound that wasn't there.


	12. Chapter 12

The first time he met Sephiroth, he was naked save for the towel and even though it was likely Sephiroth had seen him before he had draped it around his waist, he was so numb from the meeting that he hadn't blushed so much from being naked as being caught in the showers by Sephiroth--

But the first time Sephiroth drew him into his bedchamber and told him to undress while he locked the door, Cloud was terrified. He didn't know what to do, what to expect, and he never wanted to displease Sephiroth but he was so scared--and then Sephiroth turned around, and looked at him curiously and asked what was wrong. It took Cloud several stammering starts before he managed to get out that he was uncomfortable without his clothes, to which his only answer was that curious stare. Sephiroth came closer--Cloud frozen in place--and put his hand to Cloud's cheek. He stared at Cloud, then said, "It is only the rest of the world that assumes that nudity means you are vulnerable. Is that why you are uncomfortable?"

He hadn't wanted to admit to it, but Sephiroth was Sephiroth, and he could not lie. He nodded miserably, and Sephiroth smiled.

Sephiroth kissed him then, and began peeling away the layers of uniform the typical grunt wore. The jacket, the undershirt, the belt, the boots, the pants, the boxers... Cloud stood in the cold air and shivered but Sephiroth pulled him to the bed, and Cloud sat nervously on the mattress and clutched the blankets with white-knuckled hands. Sephiroth only smiled again, kissed him again, and took a few short steps to his open closet, where he began to undress.

Cloud stared with wide eyes. Each act was deliberately casual, as the gloves were released from the metal bangles at each wrist and then removed, revealing a black mark on the back of Sephiroth's left hand. The shoulder armor, the coat, the Soldier belt and harness... everything, removed, stowed away with perfect military precision, neatness, until the Commander of SOLDIER stood naked. He turned to look at Cloud and Cloud swallowed, his eyes having taken in everything, so his face burned.

Sephiroth came to the bed, gently pulled the sheets from Cloud, and Cloud was more aware than ever that he was small, that even his time training made him nothing next to Sephiroth, and though his first instinct was to curl up--especially around that knot of warmth between his legs--Sephiroth sat beside him and ran one hand down his side, straightening him out without using any force. What Sephiroth touched was his, Cloud gave it freely enough, he only wanted to obey, to please where he thought he must fail. And it was easy, at first, as Sephiroth seemed content to run his hand up and down Cloud's side, a comforting motion as he stretched out beside Cloud, raised up on one elbow. He kissed Cloud again, and something in Cloud's body began to unwind. He could feel individual muscles gradually loosening.

Sephiroth's tongue lapped at his lower lip, and though Cloud thought it felt weird from the simple press of their lips before, he didn't mind. Then Sephiroth's hand slid across his belly, up his chest, rested over his left nipple and his fingers did something and Cloud didn't know what it was but his mouth opened and suddenly they were kissing open-mouthed and it--it--

He started to draw up his knees and swallowed as Sephiroth pulled back from the kiss. There was that smile on his face, that smile that said _Follow me, give me everything_ and he knew there was, somewhere in his own eyes, something that said _I love you_ , and he wasn't certain if what he saw in Sephiroth's smile was the same thing he knew in his own eyes or if it was different, but it didn't really matter because Sephiroth--Sephiroth--

"You don't have to be so afraid," Sephiroth murmured, his hand moving back to Cloud's side, sliding down past his narrow hips to his thighs, rubbing along them to relax him. "It is all right to feel these things..."

"But I--" And he couldn't speak; Sephiroth's eyes had left his own, were now looking down to the pale curled hair between his legs and he couldn't follow his gaze, was too afraid to, ever since he had first been jumped in the showers he had been terrified because he saw some of the bullies look at him with smiles that weren't the same as Sephiroth's but were smiles nonetheless, sneers even, and--

"You're not doing anything wrong," the Commander said, his eyes going back to Cloud's, and he swallowed. Sephiroth raised his hand, began brushing it through Cloud's hair, before leaning down to kiss him again. So they kissed, and this time when Sephiroth's hand moved down his body Cloud did not grow distracted, and this time those fingers touched him, touched him where he had been afraid to touch himself for fear of what anyone else would say--even afraid of what Zack would say, Zack above all else because Zack cared for him, Zack took care of him and without Zack--and his breath caught. He hiccuped and shuddered and closed his eyes, and heard Sephiroth whispering into his ear, comforting things, and Cloud believed him because it was Sephiroth and he couldn't think differently. Then Sephiroth said he was going to teach Cloud something, so he had to open his eyes and listen and pay close attention, and he braced him up on the pillows as Sephiroth took one of his thin hands and led it down to his hardening length.

***

It was embarrassing and shuddering and wet--so wet, so sticky--when he came, his lower lip clenched between his teeth until the short cry--almost a sob--broke past the dam in his throat, but at the same time Sephiroth descended upon his mouth and drank in all of his sounds, all of his fears, lapped up the blood from his lip and then--Gods help him, just seeing it caused his breath to catch--Sephiroth had licked the wetness from his fingers, from Cloud's own hand, and his eyes never left Cloud's once, heavy-lidded and sated.

Then the older man gathered him up into his arms, and before they slept Sephiroth whispered that he could feel Cloud purring beneath him like a cat, and as Cloud lay in the other man's arms he realized that he could feel the hum of his blood in his veins and the happiness buzzing in his lungs with every slow, shuddering breath and Sephiroth was right. But that wasn't surprising; Sephiroth was right.

***

Sephiroth was right about many things. Sephiroth had said that he was a fast learner, and for Sephiroth Cloud always was a fast learner, because he couldn't bear the thought that he might make a mistake, might make too many mistakes, that Sephiroth wouldn't want him anymore. But even when he did make a mistake it didn't seem to bother Sephiroth--if nothing else, his stammering and blushing and embarrassment seemed to amuse the Commander--and Sephiroth would gently correct him, tell him what he needed to do to fix it.

So when Sephiroth said _Follow me, give me everything_ , Cloud knew exactly how best to do just that, and when he could see Sephiroth's eyes before they came he knew he was following Sephiroth, following him to a place he had never been before, and whenever he came back to himself afterwards he realized he was--

No. That didn't matter. What mattered was this, was him on his knees before Sephiroth, Sephiroth's hands in his hair, the warm water falling around them in the shower stall and his tongue tracing the lines of the older man's thighs.

What mattered was this, Sephiroth's arms around him and Sephiroth's chest against his back, Sephiroth a support as they stood in front of the mirror in Sephiroth's bedchambers, his own body naked and Sephiroth's black leather a sharp contrast to his skin as he pleasured himself, watching himself and watching Sephiroth watching him, as Sephiroth whispered in his ear small details, things he noticed as Cloud became more aroused and that, in turn, arousing him.

What mattered was this, one night spent alone in the barracks because Zack was away and Sephiroth had been, as well, away on some mission but the phone had rung and they had talked, one night spent alone on his bunk with Sephiroth's words in his ear, telling him things, telling him to do things, to imagine, and he did, he could, he was perfect, Sephiroth said, he was his, his his his--and Sephiroth's pleased voice after it all, Sephiroth's voice, Sephiroth's pleasure.

What mattered was this, Sephiroth's mouth around his own cock, Sephiroth's hands on him doing things that his own hands could never do, Sephiroth's lips, Sephiroth's teeth, Sephiroth's knee, Sephiroth's leather, Sephiroth's belt, Sephiroth's tongue, Sephiroth's smile, Sephiroth's eyes, Sephiroth's words--his words--his words, rare and valuable, deep and true with the ability to rock deep into him just like--

What mattered was this, _Follow me, give me everything, I love you_ , and what mattered was that he didn't care if he cut himself with those words because it was worth it, even hiding it from Zack, and what mattered was that Sephiroth smiled for him in ways that Sephiroth didn't even smile at Zack, and what mattered was that Sephiroth--what mattered _was_ Sephiroth--what mattered--

***

The rest of the world had crumbled apart in shards of ice and light. There had been rushing, burning liquid and a brief moment of white-burnt blindness, and then, etched so deep into him he could feel it at work in his veins--scratches of formulae and the incantations of a spell so powerful--the pull so strong--

He had hung in that place of white-burnt blindness willingly because he had had no will. He had only had love, and the invisible strings that pulled him in, the voices crooning his name, and they were like a salve over the burning whiteness. He was taken into darkness and it was comforting.

He had opened his eyes, only vaguely aware that he could see again, a blue-green-glass shell of protection surrounding him. He felt warm. Two arms draped over his shoulders, hands clasped loosely over his heart. They were solid. They were real. But at the same time, as he drifted in and out of consciousness, as he watched silver strands drifting before his vision, his body felt--felt--it was as though he wasn't sure where it started and ended. He raised one of his own hands, stared at the fingers, flexed each one, marveled at it. Then he turned it over, stared at the scarred skin on the back of his hand, and then at the scars traced over his arm. He stared, but couldn't connect them to anything but pain, and humiliation, and something else that struck him deeper than that, hurt him deeper than that.

The hands unclasped over his chest, exposing a scar over his heart. He watched them move wonderingly, knowing those hands better than he knew even his own, felt himself turned by his shoulders until he could face--

Sephiroth looked at him with eyes half-lidded with a mixture of contentment, weariness, and victory. He did not doubt that Sephiroth had triumphed, realized on some level that Sephiroth had triumphed over him, despite all of his efforts, but he did not feel humiliated. Just tired. Just defeated. And that was all right, because that was how it was supposed to be.

He did not care. Sephiroth was looking at him, now, and when Sephiroth touched his cheek with one hand he could feel it, then, almost as though Sephiroth's fingers were sliding inside of him. He smiled and leaned his head against Sephiroth's chest, his own hands resting on either side of his face, felt content.

He was nameless. He was worthless. He was no one--he didn't even deserve a number. But he was one with Sephiroth now. He was One. With Sephiroth. He could feel their bodies, their flesh, and he could feel his body acquiescing to Sephiroth's. He let that body claim his. He wanted it to, because then he would be worth something. Sephiroth. Sephiroth made him worth something. Because Sephiroth loved him enough to grant him that. Sephiroth. Sephiroth--

He felt lips touch his forehead. He felt a smile. And although he could not hear the words, they did not need to be spoken because he looked back up at Sephiroth's eyes and he could feel the words humming through his flesh. _You are mine. You will come back to me. You will always come back to me. You will be mine in life, and you will be mine in death, and we will become One_. And beneath even that, the words that he remembered Sephiroth speaking to him and his worthlessness many, many years ago-- _I love_ \--

Then it shattered.

Body shattered. Flesh shattered. It hurt; he screamed. The light splintered, his dream splintered, his body broke apart and he fell away. He could do nothing. He could be nothing.

His mind crushed into slivers and he was a small boy all over again, staring down at the broken glass and afraid to touch it, afraid to try to piece back together what was right because he knew it would cut, it would hurt. And the pieces were too small, and the pieces were too jagged, and the memories of each--

***

"I worry about trying to get Cloud out of here while he's unconscious," Vincent murmured. They were resting in one of the corners of the abandoned yard. The ruins of Kurai's hideout were still burning, the smoke still towering into the air, and though Vincent knew none of them needed much light to see well, the dull light from the flames were something of a comfort. If nothing else it would help them see anyone Kurai might have sent after them...

Zack had wrapped Cloud up as warmly as he could in Cloud's coat, but the blond still shivered from time to time at the touch of the cold. He sat beside his friend worriedly, nodded in agreement. "If we were to get attacked on the way back... and I don't think we want anyone around here seeing one of us completely out like this. With so many yakuza around... it'd only be more dangerous." He looked up at the other man. "Hey, Vincent?"

He looked down at Zack, crimson eyes looking through a fall of black hair. "Yes?"

"When you transform..."

"I have gotten better at retaining my own consciousness," Vincent said. "None of the monsters gave me any problems until Chaos emerged for the first time. During any of the other transformations I always had some control. Still, even Chaos... There are ways to deal even with demons." He walked over to the wall. "I'm going to take a look around. The gate's still locked, and I'm only going to be right up here."

"Right, I'll give you a holler if Cloud starts to wake up or we get some visitors from the other side," Zack said, watching as Vincent scaled the wall, and perched on top of it. Then he returned his eyes to Cloud, reached down with a hand and brushed it along Cloud's face. The moment his fingertips touched Cloud's cheek Cloud gasped and shuddered, though the reaction was not one of pain or fear at all. Zack's brow furrowed, remembered Cloud had been in a room full of the evening sun... and that it was used to make oasis... which enthralled its abusers in pleasure, hallucinations...

"Maybe it's a good thing we try not to move you until the effects have worn off after all," Zack murmured. He sighed, rested his face in his hands.

 _Kurai, a Sephiroth Clone. It makes sense, though. They told me before that Cloud didn't start to show signs of Sephiroth's habits as a commander until after he had come back from a mission in Wutai... and I betcha that's the one when he met Kurai... and if Kurai had... shit. If we could have any idea where Kurai went, we might be able to figure out just who or what the hell is behind this._

"The entire area seems dead," Vincent said from above. Zack twisted around and looked up to where Vincent now stood. "There are no lights on. It's late, but the prostitutes would still have customers... There's something wrong."

"Hey, Vincent? You remember what Yuffie said about monsters, right? And what the townspeople said about monsters going into Nirvana and taking away the bodies of people who died there?"

Vincent turned, leaped down beside him, nodded. "We need to get out of here."

Zack hesitated, but knelt beside Cloud and carefully lifted him from the ground. Another soft gasp, but Cloud didn't squirm, only bit his lower lip and held back a whimper. "I don't like it, but... Vincent? I've got no problem taking point, if you wouldn't mind carrying Cloud."

The other man seemed surprised at this. "Why--?"

"I don't trust myself," Zack said quickly, and passed Cloud into Vincent's arms. "There's something about Sephiroth... that's happening... and I don't trust myself right now. Let's just get the hell out of here and hope this place doesn't erupt into monsters until we get back to Yuffie and Cait Sith, right?"

Vincent suddenly cursed. "We forgot. We left them there to protect the sample of the evening sun. They could be in trouble."

So they opened up the gates leading off the grounds and took off into the night. Although Vincent tried not to jostle Cloud much, they sacrificed comfort for speed and moved quickly. Vincent was right. The air was thick and charged.

***

They were halfway to Nagano when Cloud suddenly started screaming. Despite how Vincent tried to hold onto Cloud, the Commander twisted out from his grasp and landed on all fours, breathing erratically, eyes wide open.

"Cloud?" Zack and Vincent both said, and Cloud froze at the sound of their voices. Neither of them knew what to do; uncertain whether or not he was still under the effect of the evening sun.

"He's gone..." Cloud sank to his knees, clasped his arms, closed his eyes and curled up on the path. "Dammit..."

Vincent spoke Cloud's name again, knelt down beside him, put his human hand on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud flinched at first, then nodded.

"I'll be fine... give me a second..." His entire body shook, but his voice remained calm. "Where?"

"We set all of Kurai's base on fire," Zack said, squatting down on Cloud's other side. "We're worried about Yuffie and Cait, so we were trying to hurry back. The town outside was abandoned, Cloud, or something like it... And after all we heard about the monsters..."

"No, you're right." He took a deep breath, and they stood along with him. Then he looked to Vincent, held out his hand. "Ultima?" He put the massive blade to his back, nodded. "Right, let's move out. I'll take point."

***

Nagano was quiet, but that was due to the hour, not monsters hiding in the shadows or--even worse--under people's skins. Zack noticed that there were guards wielding naginata at Nagano's gates, however, and Cloud conversed briefly with one to learn that there had been an attack, but Yuffie and Cait Sith were quick to retaliate. The ninja girl and Cait had gotten in touch with her father, and they had rallied Nagano's old guard to get them ready. Apparently, "Nirvana" was under guard and all of its broken down entrances blockaded with debris from that area.

They went up to the resort and noticed that the two young women guarding the entrance were two of the maids, and they had only taken a few steps in before Yuffie met them.

"Whaddya mean you had no idea the maids here also functioned as guards?" Yuffie snorted when Zack commented on them. "Royalty used to use this place exclusively! You'd want your maids to be bodyguards too, wouldn't you?"

"Yuffie, what happened in Nagano?" Cloud asked quickly, and she sobered up.

"Cait--he's contacting the others in Junon right now about everything that's happened so far," she said. "Monsters, just like the ones that hit Junon, from what we can tell... They started coming from Nirvana. Not like that's surprising, but you know, this town had more yakuza in it than I thought. And here's another thing. All the yakuza are gone."

"The sample of the evening sun. Is it safe?"

She nodded. "We still have it in your room."

"I want all of you to stay in the same room tonight," Cloud ordered. "Keep the sample in the middle of the room. I don't want anyone inside until the morning."

Zack blinked. "Cloud, what about you?"

"I'm not going to stay in the same room with it," he said, shaking his head. "I'm a target, the plant's a target, and I--" He stopped himself, cursed and felt his side where he had been stabbed. "I don't think I should be in the same room with it. Don't ask questions, just trust me."

"But, nii-san, what happened?" Yuffie asked, trailing after him as he started inside the inn. "What happened with Kurai?"

"I need to talk to Cait Sith about it," Cloud muttered. "You can listen in if you want." He paused, took a deep breath, and finally looked down at her with a small smile. "It's all right, Yuffie. Not like I could stop you from listening in if you really wanted to." He looked back at Zack and Vincent, who had followed him in. "We'll talk to Cait first, but then I want all of us to take shifts for who will be guarding the sample and who'll be relaxing. We'll leave tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you all can't enjoy the hot springs first."

"Hey, Cloud?" Zack said as they headed back toward their rooms. "You sure you don't want to take a little break before talking to Cait?"

Cloud didn't even look back, only shook his head. Zack couldn't shake that something was wrong, but like the others he couldn't think of anything to do or say to get Cloud to slow down for a moment, figure out if he was all right.

When they walked into the room Cait sat up straight as though caught off guard, but Cloud came in and said, "Reeve, I need to talk to you and Rufus."

That surprised the others, but Cait immediately nodded and stiffened. Within a moment, Reeve's voice came out from Cait's mouth without the accent, and Rufus's soon followed.

"Cloud?"

"Strife?"

"It's worse than we thought. Kurai's a Sephiroth Clone, and undoubtedly the closest to the original that we've seen yet. He had another garden inside his hideout that was filled with the evening sun, only they had been genetically manipulated with Jenova cells. He's working closely with a 'benefactor' who has the ability to work with such things... And I think it's safe to say that they've been using the oasis and the evening sun to create monsters. We need it off the Junon streets, or anywhere else it's been spread, and I think we might want to start a routine search of any cargo ships that go into port from Wutai."

There was a pause, and then Rufus's voice asked, "Kurai escaped?"

"Yes, and I have a feeling he's going to try to meet up with his benefactor right now. He already has a head start on us. I doubt he has an airship, though, so if we leave tomorrow morning we ought to get back to Junon ahead of him." Cloud glanced back at Zack, looked at the gauntlet on his arm. "It also seemed like Kurai had some materia on hand. If they bring it into Junon it will probably discharge just like the others, but..." He paused. "Tell Dr. Melantha we have a sample of the evening sun and we'll protect it until we can get it to her. It's not one of the samples with the Jenova cells, but I don't think he would have used those plants for creating the oasis drug. Also, send Wolff the orders that I want SOLDIER to double their patrols and increase training."

"Cloud, I'm not so sure how quickly we can establish that," Reeve said. "That and it sounds a lot like martial law--after we've been working to help reduce the Shinra's military power--"

"It doesn't have to be done immediately; I'll leave it up to you two to decide how to carry things out, but SOLDIER must start to double their patrols. I think it's safe to say that Wutai and Junon are both strong targets for whomever's behind all this; they're the only two military strongholds in the world."

"We'll do what we can," Reeve said. "I'll switch Cait Sith to auto... just give him commands and he'll follow them."

Cloud nodded. "Right." He watched as Cait Sith relaxed, the transmission ended. He looked to the others. "Can you all... deal with the rest of it?"

"It sounds like you got the rest of it dealt with well enough on your own," Vincent said quietly. "Yuffie, could you arrange transportation for tomorrow morning with the inn's mistress?"

Yuffie nodded. "I'm sure Makoto-san wouldn't mind helping out."

Vincent walked to Cait Sith, and picked up the sample of evening sun from the floor. "Zack, you and I will get everything moved to one room for all of us, so Cloud can have this one to himself. And Cloud..." He looked at the young man with a no-nonsense look that Zack found vaguely familiar. "You are going to rest. We can split the shifts between ourselves."

For a few moments they all thought Cloud was going to argue; they could see him struggling to, and that was as plain a sign of his tiredness as they knew they could get from him.

"Cloud," Zack said, "go ahead out to the hot springs, soak a bit, and then sleep, all right? We'll keep an eye on things."

Cloud ran a hand over his face, nodded. "All right... I just..."

Yuffie came up behind him, took him by the shoulders, began pushing him out. "Don't feel badly! You've done more than enough! Get going! If you don't relax, I'll... I'll... I'll send someone in to give you a massage! And it could be anyone!"

Waiting for the other two to go, Zack rubbed the back of his head. "Finally. Though... something still feels off."

"He hasn't told us something," Vincent murmured. "I don't expect him to be open about it, but... He's hidden more from us than I thought he would, and that worries me more than the rest of this."

***

The hot springs had been warm, and relaxing, and Zack had been glad to find that he had more time left before his shift in the room. He stopped by to see Yuffie playing a Wutanese dice game beside the evening sun, and Vincent seemed still enough that Zack thought he must be sleeping; Cait Sith was standing guard at the entrance of the room to the garden, and would be all night.

Zack double-checked his watch. He had time.

He quietly padded down the hallway, to the room Cloud had taken. It was closer to the center of the compound, and closer to the end of the garden he had been out in earlier, and the room itself was only a little smaller. He stopped outside the door, slid it open a crack.

"Cloud?" he called. He wasn't answered, and he looked inside. There was Cloud's futon, and Cloud's equipment, but Cloud--no, there he was, but he was curled up in one of the corners, arms wrapped around his knees. Zack stepped in, closed the door, walked closer and noticed that the bottle of Cloud's medicine sat beside him. Without even asking, Zack sat down beside Cloud, and waited a moment. "This can't be too comfortable. How long have you been sitting over here?"

"I don't know." Cloud's voice was hoarse, and when he looked at Zack his eyes were wet. He rested his head on his knees, looked up at Zack through his bangs. "I'm sorry..."

"I know. You're not the sort to lie to us without it hurting yourself." Zack picked up the bottle of medicine. "So why lie? You could have told us about the medicine."

Cloud closed his eyes. "...I'm scared, Za-kun. He... He's coming back. And no one will believe me. We'll get back to Junon, and they'll think it's happened again. They'll send me back to Gren, and I can't--I can't go through that again."

"They'll believe you," Zack said. "This time... How could they not believe you? Vincent and I saw it, Yuffie believes you, I mean... It'll be okay. We'll make them believe. I mean, part of the problem the first time was that there wasn't any evidence, right? And they were in denial, the bastards, but now they--"

"Za-kun..."

He stopped, looked down to see Cloud had opened his eyes again. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried. About you."

"Me? Why?"

Cloud shook his head, took the bottle of medicine back from Zack, stood up and took a few steps toward the futon. Zack got up to follow, but when he did, Cloud whirled and snapped, "Just get out."

Zack blinked. "The hell? Cloud--"

"I can't do it anymore!" The younger man shook his head, swiped the back of his hand across his eyes. "I can't keep up these lies--they hurt too much, and every time I try to hold myself back, make everyone else happy--they wanted me to be the Commander of SOLDIER, I was the Commander of SOLDIER, I did everything they told me to and I did everything I could do, and they still threw me into some pit of hell and I had to lie to get out, and forced to take this--this medicine..." Cloud looked at the bottle, suddenly shuddered and dropped it as if it burned. "It's wrong, Zack--it's wrong. If I take it, they have to believe me. They can't accuse you or Vincent or anyone of just humoring me, it's the only way to prove to them that it's real." He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, his voice forcing its way out. "And you're involved and you're just going to get hurt, I know it, and I can't lose anything anymore, anyone, anything! If I do, I--he'll--gods, I'm so fucked up... I can't even tell what's real anymore, I can't even... all I remember is _him_ , and he... the way he... he's supposed to be dead, but he's not, and I don't know why I can't..."

Cloud's entire body trembled now, and Zack snapped out of his shock in time to run forward when Cloud's legs gave out. He caught his friend, felt Cloud's fingers curling against his shirt.

"Cloud, it's all right, it's not your fault," Zack said. He knelt, eased himself and Cloud down to the ground.

A sharp jerk of the shoulders, and a sharp laugh that caused him to wince. "You have no idea just how much is my fault... how much more is going to be my fault..."

"Listen to me, okay?" He tried to think of something to say, something, but all he could think to do was pull Cloud closer, tuck his head under his chin. "You have to relax. You have to get some rest. Forget this mess. I'll kidnap you when we get back, we'll take Takeyo and go someplace far away and never come back."

Another shake of the shoulders, only there was no more of the laugh. Just the sharpness, the bitterness. "You wouldn't want me... not anymore... not you, not Vincent, not even the goddamned Shinra..."

Zack blinked. "What?"

"Zack..." Cloud curled up, shook his head against him. "I... please just make it stop... Don't let him come to me again tonight, I don't think I could..."

He paused, thought only briefly of the consequences. The others would wonder. The others would come, would know. But Zack realized that right now he didn't care, and if there were any problems with it he would answer for all of them. Even Vincent would understand--Vincent would understand better than the others. He had to--if Cloud had been even half as intimate with Vincent, then he must have trusted him, and that meant--

He stopped himself, put one hand to Cloud's cheek, brushed the wetness away with his thumb. He tilted Cloud's face up and kissed him, let his eyes lock with Cloud's blue, and pulled Cloud down with him as he lay down on the futon. He broke away just long enough to drag the blankets and quilts over them, kissed Cloud again, just as slow, just as careful, just as he had always wanted to, pouring kindness into it, trying to draw Cloud out rather than let him recess too far in... and Cloud did pull himself closer, and mumbled something against Zack's chest and they settled there.

Zack stroked Cloud's hair, felt Cloud's body against his own, finally let himself relax long enough to close his eyes. His hand tightened momentarily in Cloud's hair, and a smile that was not his own pressed lips against Cloud's forehead.

 _We won't let them have you. We won't let them hurt you. We will take you away from them, from this--_

A shiver ran through Cloud's body, but he only pulled himself closer to Zack, to his warmth.


	13. Chapter 13

Zack woke when he heard the door slide open. He yawned, cracked his jaw and winced, then turned his head around as he heard light footsteps tread across the floor toward them. He wasn't surprised to see Vincent, but he was surprised to see that the room was light; the sun was coming up.

Vincent touched a claw to his lips, indicating silence, then jerked his head back toward the door. Zack looked down, did his best to disentangle from Cloud; he heard the door sliding shut again, granting him some privacy to pull himself together. Cloud seemed all right. The blond shifted into the spot of heat Zack left behind, and he stopped before walking out to adjust the blankets.

He stepped out into the hallway. "Yeah, Vincent?"

"It's almost time to go. I wanted to let you know so you could get ready." Vincent looked past Zack, as if he could see through the rice paper door and into the room. "Cloud can get ready in less than five minutes if he needs to. I thought it best to let him sleep a little longer."

Shifting uncomfortably, Zack nodded. "Right..."

"You need to be prepared when we go back." Vincent turned, looked at Zack straight on. "I spoke to Reeve earlier. The others... are willing to admit, now, that it's not all Cloud."

Zack crossed his arms, snorted. "They had better admit to it."

"I spoke to Rufus, as well. Separately. Melantha's files and her sample of Cloud's blood went up in smoke during a mysterious accident that took place in her labs." Vincent again looked back to the door. "Cloud's carrying Sephiroth's cells, where normal Soldiers only carry Jenova cells. That's how--why Sephiroth has been able to... or at least part of it. We know that much. It would explain things... except Cloud was supposed to be mentally free from Sephiroth, and we know that that's not true." His gaze averted, then went back to Zack. "My hearing might not be like a Soldier's, Zack, but these walls are thin and I heard enough last night. If Cloud goes back to the others in his current condition, he will be considered a threat."

"What? Why?"

Vincent motioned for him to keep his voice down. "Sephiroth's gotten control of Cloud before, and when he did he used Cloud to summon Meteor. Holy's been used once and it nearly destroyed us; now, we've lost even that. Whatever Sephiroth is doing, Cloud is obviously key to it. And if Sephiroth's link with Cloud goes both ways, then there's no telling what information Sephiroth is getting from Cloud about our plans, our positions, our..."

"So Cloud's nothing but a liability to you now?"

The other man's eyes darkened. "I have been trying to think of ways to stop them from imprisoning him. I have been trying to think logically of anything we can say--anything we can do--to get them to understand, but logically their thinking isn't too far off. I don't want Cloud to go back to the institution. I never want to see Cloud in that state ever again. But the fact is that something in Gren's treatments did eventually shut Cloud's mind to Sephiroth, or something like it, and if that's the only thing that Avalanche can think of to protect him and the rest of us from Sephiroth, then that's the thing that Avalanche will do, at least until we find Kurai and his benefactor and stop them. They don't want to do it to hurt Cloud, but they know that Cloud would put the Planet before himself, and if he has to then--do you understand, now?" He got a slow, grudging nod, and returned it with a curt one of his own. "Then go and get ready. I'll stay with Cloud until it's time to go. If you can think of anything to keep Cloud away from the institution and its treatments, then I would gladly assist you. I'll do the same if I think of anything." He moved toward the door, stopped to look back and say, "If we don't want them to try to protect him with the institution, then we have to come up with protection of our own. And taking him away from the center of what's happening won't work. He'd only come back. His sense of responsibility and obligation wouldn't allow anything less."

It wasn't, exactly, a confession of love. It was a warning, and Zack knew one when he heard one. Still, as Vincent stepped through the door and then to Cloud's side, sitting down and placing his human hand in Cloud's hair, smoothing the wild strands, Zack could hear what Vincent hadn't added to the end himself.

He slid the door closed, went back up the hall to their room. Yuffie was watching him knowingly and he began to wonder how much she did know, after all.

"What?" he asked, though he was too tired for it to come out harsh or annoyed.

She shrugged, went back to organizing a few pieces of armor laden with materia, shoving them into a canvas sack with the Soldier insignia painted on one side.

"I don't know if we're allowed to bring that back."

"Cloud brought these, and I can't take them from him, not even the materia." Yuffie looked up at Zack. "Wutai can take care of itself, now. We can't keep relying on him, or else we'll wind up like the Shinra."

Zack blinked. "That must've been what he had the Soldier bring out before we left. Oi. Still, wish he could have let us grab some before we went chasing after Kurai."

Yuffie held up an armband that had a long row of empty, joined slots along it. "You might like this one. You can hide it pretty well under your sleeves and all, so others don't know you're carrying around materia."

He grinned at her, squatted down and took it in his hand. "I dunno, ninja. After hearing about what happened to one of your cats, I'd be a bit afraid of one of them discharging on me while we're in Junon."

Her face turned red for a moment, and she looked away, ran a hand through her short hair. "Yeah, but, it got back to normal again, I just used a gold needle on it and it got better."

"Heh, I believe you, I just..." He shook his head. "I don't think we need to rely on the materia so much either. Though it'd give Wutai a big boost, if something were to happen. You sure your father won't want any?"

"Nah. He says that nii-san did too much for us already, too. The situation with Kurai was really bad, and the only way we managed to get any peace out of it was the talk between him and Cloud." She snickered. "I betcha he didn't tell you how he snuck into the camp."

He sat down more comfortably beside her, twirling the armband around one finger. "Snuck into camp? I thought the first time he met Kurai was in Godo's imperial garden."

"Nope. We were worried about what kind of messenger to send down to Kurai's camp that wouldn't wind up getting killed by the yakuza, or having something happen, and Cloud shrugged and said he would go, but Dad and I said no way, and Cloud insisted, and said it would be okay because he knew of a way to not reveal himself until he was in Kurai's midsts. And you know what he did?" She leaned closer, kept her voice to a whisper, and winked. "He dressed up in a kimono, with a hidden blade in a parasol, waltzed in like a 'present' to Kurai and the moment he had Kurai interested, had that blade to the bastard's throat!"

It took Zack a few moments to get over the shock, before he laughed and leaned closer, lowering his voice to an answering whisper, "You got any pictures?"

"May~be," she said, then pointed to the armband dangling from his finger. "You do know which one that one is, right?" She pointed to her left forearm, over the wrist. "He used to wear that right here, over his bandage."

"This one was Cloud's?" Zack took a closer look at it, saw all eight slots were linked. "Avalanche must have been a goddamned army before they marched into the crater."

"Maybe not an army, but close enough. He made sure we could take care of ourselves." She clasped her hands behind her head and grinned. "Now, if only he could take care of himself!"

"Well... he's always had problems with that..."

"We kinda gathered. I only got the abridged version of Nibelheim, but... maa, Tifa would keep saying that she didn't know Cloud that well at all, and she hardly remembered him until... yeah. Anyway." Yuffie closed the sack with a nod. "There, all done. You know, I love home and I hate airships, but it'll be cool to see everyone again."

"You're coming?"

"Well, duh. Someone's got to keep an eye on Cloud when you or Vincent aren't around to oogle him."

***

Vincent could hear Zack bantering with Yuffie up the hall, but he paid them little attention. It was strangely comforting, just listening to Cloud breathe, relaxed for once--he wondered if Cloud had taken more of his "medicine" last night, and thought he must have, considering what he had managed to make out from the conversation before.

Cloud's closed eyes tightened, then squinted open. Vincent stopped stroking Cloud's hair, watched as Cloud shifted until he could look up, blinked his eyes up at Vincent. "What...?"

"Zack needed to get ready."

The young swordsman started to sit up, but Vincent moved his hand to Cloud's shoulder and eased him back down.

"You have time. I know how quickly you can be ready." His hand went back to stroking Cloud's hair, but Cloud kept looking up at him. "What is it?"

"You, Zack..." He shifted, turned on his side and curled up as usual. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"It's not as if I haven't noticed," Cloud mumbled, eyes sliding shut. He did, however, squirm closer to Vincent. "I... but he..."

"It's all right, Cloud. Just sleep."

"Mm..."

Vincent leaned down, just put his face beside Cloud's, listened, smelled. Chaos within him stirred, but he silenced the demon before he could awaken further; the jealousy was still there, but he could save his fury for Sephiroth. So he kissed Cloud's neck, sat back again, and waited.

***

Reeve looked down absently at one of the monitors on his desk, then looked up at the others standing or sitting in his office. "They're on their way back. They should be arriving in the afternoon."

Tifa sat furthest away, closer to the windows. "Any word on Cloud?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"All we have to go by was his communication with us earlier," Reeve said, "and he was definitely in the role of the Commander of SOLDIER, so... it's hard to tell."

"He sounded kinda stressed," Cid observed, tapping out a cigarette.

"If Kurai's a clone, it only makes sense that he'd be worried." Tifa ran a hand through her hair, looking at one of the room's corners. "It's just more proof. What we've been so afraid of... It's actually happening."

"Yes." It was Rufus, standing at one end of Reeve's desk, arms crossed. "And he made good suggestions about the security. I for one agree with him." He glanced at Barret, who was sitting beside a sprawled-out Reno. "Junon has been a military base for several years. The people will not mind so long as you tell them it's for their own good. And," he said, just as Barret started to open his mouth, "it is for their own good, so it's not a lie, or manipulation. Unless you distrust Cloud so much...?"

"Damned Shinra," Barret grumbled. "It ain't Cloud, it's--if this is some sign that Sephiroth's coming back from the goddamned grave, what's to stop him from tricking Cloud into attacking one of us again?"

"There's no use thinking about it too much right now, Barret," Reeve said, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "We need to focus on now. We'll worry about Cloud and his condition when he gets back, and we'll speak to the others about it then as well."

"Shit. Got us there," Cid murmured, unlit cigarette clenched between his teeth. "C'mon, Barret, let's go out to the docks. The merchants'll be complaining--we'll just go down and keep an eye on things, right?"

"Good idea," Reeve said. "If they see Avalanche there, things will probably smooth over."

When the two left, Reno pushed himself out of his chair and nodded to both of them. "So you want us Turks to do what we can about the drugs, too? Valentine didn't exactly leave us any specific orders."

"With Reeve's permission, Reno," Rufus said, looking at the other copresident rather than the Turk, "I'd rather keep all of you here. I have a feeling we might need the Turks on call."

The older of the two shrugged his shoulders, nodded. "I have no problem with it."

Tifa finally got up as Reno waited beside the door with Rufus. "And me? You said there was something you needed me to do, Reeve."

"Well, yes. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going up to Cloud's cabin, see if there's anything amiss." He held out a set of keys. "Just be sure you're back before this afternoon, when they'll be arriving from Wutai."

Tifa took the keys, face apathetic. "What sort of thing should I be searching for?"

"Anything. If it strikes you as odd, or seems like a clue as to what's going on, then look into it. You don't need to do anything more than that." She nodded and he smiled tiredly. "Thank you, Tifa. You know I couldn't ask Barret or Cid to do it."

"Is Red back in Junon?" she said. "I'd like to take him with me."

Reeve nodded and she started on her way out. Then he looked at Rufus, who was staring at him. "Yes?"

"Heh. I'm glad that of all the old Shinra board that I got tied to in this," Rufus said, heading for the door, "it's you. You know how to change."

Reno gave Reeve a lazy salute before walking out after Rufus, and Reeve sighed and sat down. "Right..."

***

Tifa contacted Nanaki with her PHS unit on the way out the building, and they agreed to meet at the base of the cliffs. He was there, as promised, waiting for her, and together the two started up the long path. They reached the top, found Cloud's cabin, and Tifa unlocked the front door and swung it open.

Cloud hadn't been gone from his cabin for too long but still, in the late sunlight from the windows, they could see dust motes drifting in the air. They took a few steps into the living area when Nanaki stopped, hackles rising and ears flicking.

"Tifa," he growled, just as she closed the door. "Someone's been here."

Without hesitation she drew out her gloves from her jacket and began pulling them on, tightening them. "Any idea who?"

"No... Not anyone or anything familiar. I don't think they were here recently." He moved forward, nose skimming the floor. "It's so faint, I only made out that one trace of it."

"You're right, though, something definitely doesn't feel right." Quick glances revealed the living room and kitchen to be the same as Nanaki remembered seeing it last, and close enough to the last time Tifa had seen the cabin--which was not at all recent--so that they did not worry. As they drew closer to the closed bedroom door, however, Tifa felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand. The air grew cold. She tightened her gloves, looked down at Nanaki, who nodded curtly to show he was ready for anything.

She used the key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. Nothing happened. Cautiously, Tifa stepped in, her eyes scanning the room, before something black fell down in front of her. It rose up immediately from the floor, a black-cloaked figure with claws instead of human hands. She reacted with a punch, straight to the hooded face, following it up with a quick kick to the Clone's stomach, or where the stomach ought to be. Whatever she hit, she connected strong enough to cause the Clone to stagger back, and Nanaki slipped around her legs to pounce on it, dragging it down to the bedroom floor. The Clone released a terrible shriek before lying still, and Tifa approached slowly, raising her eyes to scan the rafters for any other hidden black-cloaked figures. Finding none, she knelt down and nudged the hood, and it fell back to reveal a head that belonged more to a wolf than a man. She shuddered, and looked to Nanaki.

"I think... we should take it outside and burn it. There's no telling if we just stunned it or actually killed it, and I'd rather not take any chances."

"Agreed."

She dragged the body outside and they used spare kindle from Cloud's fireplace to start a fire with the corpse. It stank of the sickening-sweetness of Mako and the rot of a corpse, but they did not leave it until they were certain it was burning and it would not rise again. Then they went back inside, to the bedroom that it had been guarding.

"I wonder how it got in?" Tifa wondered aloud. "It's not like Cloud would have left the cabin unlocked."

"True," Nanaki said. "But the thing that attacked Cloud in his apartment in Junon that one night had managed to come in and out without disturbing a single window or door, from what I heard. Locks mean nothing to them, I guess, though... it is worrisome." He sniffed around, searching for clues with his nose while Tifa began looking for them with her eyes. She opened Cloud's closet, looked up on the top shelf for anything strange, shut the door and went to his desk. There was an album lying out that was open to a page of pictures from the time that Cloud was a trooper. Unable to keep down her curiosity, she leaned down to look at them more closely, smiling faintly when she saw how different Cloud had been back then. And Zack, grinning constantly, often causing Cloud to blush at the camera...

"Strange," she said, quickly flipping through the protective pages. "I didn't know he had any pictures from back then."

"Hmm?" Nanaki looked up. "Pictures?"

She nodded. "From when he was a trooper."

"He must have found them when he went into the old Shinra vaults."

"Yeah..." Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, and not wanting to study them too carefully-- _There's no point in mourning something I never had_ \--she flipped back to the photographs the album had been open to, and opened one of the drawers. Again, she saw nothing, and she kept looking until she noticed that the drawer, oddly, was only half as big as it should have been. She pulled out some stationary and pencils and put them on the desk, and felt along the wooden "bottom" of the drawer. There was a latch on one side, hidden near the back, and after a second of fiddling with it it came undone. Nanaki had looked up when he heard her shuffling about the contents of the drawer, and came closer as she pulled up the false bottom of the drawer. It revealed a thick, large envelope down beneath, and she picked it up, saw it was unmarked.

"Is this enough to rouse suspicion?" she asked Nanaki. "I mean... I don't want to go looking at something if it's personal, you know?"

"Let me smell it." She held it out to him, and Nanaki sniffed at the envelope, paused, and sniffed again. He sat back on his haunches, confusion wrinkling his face. "I... That's strange."

"What's strange?"

"It... smells like Cloud. That's the most recent smell. But underneath that... it's odd. I don't know those smells."

Tifa found the envelope unsealed, slipped her hand inside to feel the slick surface of more photographs. Wondering, she gripped the entire bundle of them and pulled them, and stared at the first one. The envelope did not slip from her hand, but she had to put it on the desk, and her eyes did not leave the image although she shook her head.

"There's--he never--oh, gods..."

"Tifa?" But Nanaki noticed type on the back of the last photograph and squinted his good eye, trying to read it around her hand. "Surveillance camera SLDR-000 placement mirror... recorded..." He raised his good eye to her face. "Tifa, you're pale... what...?"

She lowered the photographs so Nanaki could see the one on top. It was a blurry black-and-white photograph, depicting a dark room with only one light source somewhere out of the view. What mattered more than any of that, however, were the two figures that could be made out. One, clad in black, stood much taller than the shorter, who was a white, almost ghost-like figure besides the first. They stood with one black-clad arm around the other's waist, and the other gloved hand resting beneath the other's chin. Both had pale hair, pale skin, and it was impossible to make out their faces. But then, neither Tifa nor Nanaki needed to see the faces in the photograph. They could supply the rest of the details on their own.

"It... I can't..." Tifa shook her head again, put the photographs beside the album and envelope on the desk. "Red... I... What do we do? With that?"

Red's voice was quiet. "The type on the back said that they were taken by surveillance cameras."

"Y-yes?"

"Who or what in the Shinra would have surveillance cameras in the Commander of SOLDIER's personal bedchambers?"

She shook her head uncomprehendingly. "I... I don't know what you..."

"The Turks." Nanaki stood up. "There's no way that they couldn't have known. That those photographs weren't destroyed--that Cloud actually had them in his possession--that there was a Clone here, guarding this very room--I think we need to talk to Rufus."

"But the photos... what should we do with them?"

"We'll take them with us." The fire lion nudged her with his nose, rubbed his face against her hand. "Don't think about it too hard, Tifa. Not now. Let's just concentrate on getting back before too late."

She gave him a comforting scratch, and though her hands still shook she placed the photographs back in the envelope. Standing, she paused, then took the photo album as well.

"Let's go, Red..."

***

The airship landed exactly on schedule. Cloud slept throughout most of the flight, and as they stepped down from the boarding ramp he still seemed to be under some influence of the medicine. Still, he was definitely awake when they set down, and seemed happy to be back on the ground again.

"Airships are useful," he murmured, "but I think I'll take Takeyo any day."

"Ne, nii-san, you should take a vacation to ride in the chocobo races again," Yuffie said, clambering down after the others and stretching.

"Oi, Strife!" It was Reno, waiting for them at the entrance back into the base and away from the airport. "The copresidents would like to see you and Valentine ASAP. We've not had much luck with the drug round-up, but your buddies Wallace and Highwind are doing a good job down at the ports."

Cloud sighed, ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "No rest for the wicked," he muttered, and looked to the others. "This shouldn't take long. I'll make it quick. Zack, will you wait for me down in the lobby?"

"Sure thing."

"Yuffie?"

"I'll hang out with Zack for a bit," she said with a grin. "I'll call Tifa in a bit to see if I can stay with her."

He nodded, then looked to Vincent, who stepped to his side. Cait Sith bounded after them, which left Zack alone with Yuffie. The two headed on their way to the main lobby, and Yuffie worried when she tried to get to Tifa's PHS but no one answered.

"She's probably busy in her restaurant," Zack assured the young ninja, but Yuffie shook her head.

"She'd always answer if she saw it was one of us, and she always has it around..."

"Don't worry about it too much, you know? Just give her five minutes and then try again. 'Sides, if worse comes to worst, Cloud's got a pretty comfy couch in his apartment--"

"You kidding me?! I've slept on hard floors most of my life, and on forest floors all over, and if there's a chance to sleep in a bed I'm gonna take it!"

He laughed at her scowling, but grew distracted when Cloud emerged from one of the elevators with Cait Sith beside him. He said very little, only seemed more tired than usual, and when Zack asked about Vincent he murmured that their friend had to stay behind to deal with something. What that something was, he didn't say, but then Zack thought Cloud might not know nor need to, and it was all right; he knew Vincent could take care of himself. It was Cloud he worried about.

"Let's go," Yuffie whined, and Cloud grinned at her weakly.

"Yeah. Let's get some food, huh? And Cait Sith's going to go with you when you meet up with Tifa, Yuffie."

Junon's streets were empty, given the time of day, but Zack suspected that, if Cloud's orders had been carried out, the people had gotten the idea that things weren't so safe, and that drove people indoors. Cloud said nothing of his brief meeting with the copresidents and Vincent, but Zack was content to wait; they really hadn't had much to eat, and he doubted Cloud had eaten anything at all before they left for fear of losing it during the flight.

They were walking down one of the side streets when they heard a low growling from nearby. It happened so quickly that none of them could draw any weapons as a monster dashed out from one of the alleys, humanoid, only hairless and with distorted features: no eyes, but an elongated face with a single, large, grinning mouth filled with sharp teeth. It raced at them and for a few moments its twisted humanity gave them all a pause, and then it became obvious as Yuffie and the others drew back which one of them was its target.

Cloud raised one arm to defend himself by instinct as the monster leaped at him, but--and none of them could believe their eyes--a sword, longer than Cloud was tall, seemed to materialize in Cloud's fist, and without a moment's hesitation his arm extended, following through with the motion. The sword cleaved the monster cleanly in half, and they watched as it fell to either side of Cloud, saw the blood steaming off the blade, watched as Cloud stared at his own hand in horrid fascination.

"How...?" he whispered. He dropped the Masamune and stepped back, stumbling over one half of the monster's carcass, his eyes wide and glass-like with fear.

Yuffie called his name, and he whirled, taking another step back and shaking his head.

"N-no, I didn't... I d-didn't do it on purpose," he said, and suddenly their PHS units started to ring. An explosion erupted from elsewhere in the city, powerful enough to shoot flames and smoke high up into the air, and before anyone could reach their units, Tifa came around a corner with Nanaki right behind her.

"Everyone, the monsters--the docks, they're coming from one of the warehouses!" she shouted, and everyone turned to look at her, as she skid to a halt, her eyes widening when she saw Cloud.

Cloud was staring at Tifa with wide, blank eyes, completely still. She knew that look, shook her head and took a step back.

"C-Cloud, it's me... I promise, I'm really here, I'm not an illus--"

"Tifa... I didn't..." Zack looked up when he heard Cloud whisper those words, and immediately guessed what was going on. He darted behind his old friend and circled his arms around Cloud's, restraining him as Cloud began to struggle, whispering frantically under his breath. "I didn't, I didn't, I didn't mean to kill you to hurt you please please please--"

"Tifa!" Zack called to her. "Go on ahead, we'll be there as soon as--"

But another explosion interrupted him and Cloud slammed his elbow into Zack's ribs before squeezing himself together so tightly he slipped right through Zack's arms and took off at a mad dash, away from Tifa, away from them... and straight into an oncoming group of monsters, these running on all fours, more like wolves than humans. Zack cursed, rubbing at his ribs and reaching for his Buster Sword as he took after his young friend. However, unlike every other time before, the monsters ignored Cloud as he ran past. Instead, they seemed far more interested in Zack and the Avalanchers, and one of them leaped straight at Zack. Nanaki pounced in front of it and wrestled it to the ground just as the other beasts sprang at them, and the Avalanchers charged forward with their weapons drawn.

"Cloud!" Zack called, but he couldn't even see where his friend had run, and another explosion from the lower levels called their attentions to the spreading fires below.

Cait Sith's moogle slammed its fists down on top of one of the monsters, and the cat turned to Zack, dropping his accent, "If we don't get down there and stop them, the city's done for!"

"You're just going to--"

Nanaki whirled to face them, face still fixed in a bloodied snarl. "Cloud would want us to protect the city first. You saw the monsters, Zack--Cloud isn't their target! And so long as he runs, we can follow him!" He turned in time to rear and take on another beast. "Now get going, I'll hold them off here!"

"Red--" Yuffie cried, but the fire lion roared at them to go.

***

There were screams coming from all over. They were all he could hear, so many climbing as high into the sky as the fires, as the smoke, mingling with another scream that seared through the Mako in his veins. It was too much pain, all at once, and he fell over, unaware of the monsters that rushed past him, following the throng into the city. He was unaware of them, only felt the pain, closed his eyes and felt the rough pavement of the street against his cheek. It dug into his skin, cold, so cold...

"You can't give up now, Cloud."

The voice, over him, and when he looked up he was no longer in Junon but in Nibelheim. Everything was fire and burning all around him, everything was heat and ash, and standing over him was Sephiroth, looking down at him benevolently.

"Not yet. I'll even give you a present if you come to me. Look." He knelt down beside Cloud, wiped the wetness from Cloud's cheek with his gloved hand. He picked up Cloud's left wrist, gently stroked Cloud's left arm before easing the glove from Cloud's hand. Cloud stared in confusion, watched as Sephiroth put the glove aside, and began to unwind the bandage from around his hand. His gaze met Cloud's again as he did, and there was something in those eyes, that same demand, _Follow me, give me everything_ and Cloud could not ignore it, but the pain--

The bandage fell away from Cloud's hand. It hung loosely around his wrist, and he stared at the black mark that was now there on the scarred skin, watched as Sephiroth kissed it, felt the smile in Sephiroth's kiss, saw the smile in Sephiroth's eyes.

"Every time I try to give you what you always wanted, you always tried to cut it away. But not this time, right?" Sephiroth's other hand, again, cupping his face, lifting it from the hot Nibelheim cobblestones. "It is time, Cloud-kun. It is our time, finally." He caressed Cloud's skin one more time, before standing, turning towards the steps, the path that led towards the mountains. Without a look back he started walking, and Cloud cried out, tried to push himself back up, ignored the pain in his blood. He pushed up onto his hands and knees, strained until he got up onto his two feet, and staggered after Sephiroth through the flames. He had lost sight of the old Commander of SOLDIER, but he knew where he was going, where he had gone. He had gone where everyone he loved always went--over the Nibelheim mountains. Cloud just had to follow, find him again, find Sephiroth...

***

Zack was in the middle of slicing one monster open when he suddenly felt it, the lick of flames against his skin that couldn't possibly be there, and for a split-second he thought he saw Nibelheim, burning, in flames, and walking away through the fires--

"Sephiroth!" He finished his stroke, turned to see the others taking down the monsters. "I can't wait anymore! I'm going after Cloud!"

"But Zack--" Tifa was cut off when a monster attacked her, but she side-stepped it and slammed her fist upon its back, breaking its spine.

"Look, I wish I could stay and help, but if we don't move we might not get him back! I'm going!" He took off running, knowing that Cloud was still up in the higher levels of the upper city; he wouldn't put it past Kurai or whomever else had orchestrated this to have used the monsters in the warehouses as a diversion, just something to lure them away.

 _Play a game with us, see which one we'd give up in order to save the other... bastards!_ He ran to one of the inner walls, kicked open a door to an emergency stairwell that led all the way up through the levels of Junon. He began charging up the stairs, glad to see that there were no monsters in here, and heard footsteps after him; he glanced over his shoulder, saw Tifa coming after him. He was silently grateful for it, but his thoughts immediately came to a stop when he reached a landing and he could feel a physical pull on his body, through the door, on this level, Cloud was--

He charged through the door, ignored the pain in his shoulder as he rammed it open; it was heavy but the locked bolts shattered with his strength. He could hardly believe it but everything was moving so quickly, and he just knew he was needed, Cloud needed him and if he didn't get to him Sephiroth would and if that happened--

More monsters came out from one of the side streets. He started for them, readying the Buster Sword over his shoulder and only distantly aware of Tifa behind him, that every monster he left behind would be just one more for her to deal with. Still, she was experienced, she had been with Avalanche, with Cloud, in the crater, Cloud had told him so, and--

He parted the wave of monsters before him with the massive blade, slung them left and right and ignored the claws and teeth that reached him before he could cut them down, ignored them so long as he could keep moving forward, until there was one more between him and an opening on to one of the main streets, nearby one of the tunnel stations.

Zack cut down the monster, staggered around the corner and saw Cloud standing in the middle of the street, wavering, while ahead of him, directly in front of the station, stood another dragon-like creature, huge, this one covered with feathers except for a disconcertingly skeletal cage that opened like a maw in its chest. The monster raised its head and hissed at Zack when it saw him, but only bent down lower to the ground. The dark blue flesh of the maw reached out towards Cloud with long feelers, tentacles, but Cloud remained where he was, just out of reach.

"Zack!" Tifa burst out of the alley and onto the street beside him, but stopped when she saw the monster. It opened its beak wide but roared like a dragon, causing all of the buildings nearby to quake. Zack cursed and held out an arm to help Tifa keep her balance while he retained his, and looked at Cloud, who still stood on his feet as though there was nothing happening at all. "Zack, what's going on?"

"He could just take him," Zack muttered. "All of these monsters, every one that has gone after Cloud, they've never tried to kill him, just knock him out or incapacitate him so they can take him away."

"Then why doesn't it just grab him?" she said.

"I don't know, but..." Zack took a few steps closer, keeping an eye on the creature. "Cloud!" he called out.

His younger friend did not move, only stood still. The dragon stretched one foreclaw closer, flashing its talons when Zack took another step towards his friend.

"Cloud, listen to me! It's Zack!"

Cait Sith bounded up beside Tifa on top of his moogle, with Cid and Rude right behind him. They all stopped, and Cid cursed at the sight of the monster and Cloud.

"Dammit, kid, get out of there...!" He started to move forward but Tifa threw up one arm to stop him--before he stopped the dragon growled and slinked forward two steps. Only two steps, but with the dragon's size that positioned its maw-like cage right in front of Cloud and its foreclaws crashed down into the earth on either side of him, its eyes glaring at them as if daring them to try to come any closer.

Zack immediately drew himself to a halt, cursing because he was within easy reach of the dragon's jaws, with its long neck. He looked back to Cloud, and he was close enough to make out the greenish haze in Cloud's Mako blue glow.

"Cloud, whatever he's telling you, he's lying!" he shouted. "Turn around! Come back! It's me, Zack! I'm here! We're all right here!"

"Za-kun..." The voice was quiet, but he heard it beneath the dragon's growl. Cloud turned, looked at Zack with narrowed eyes, the pupils mere cat-like slits. The sight caused Zack to freeze; Cloud's eyes were still unquestionably blue, but the Mako haze still shimmered green, and the way that gaze looked at him, completely mirrored off...

"Cloud, come back to me, okay?" he said, putting the Buster Sword to his back, holding open his arms. "It's okay. Just come back. He's lying, you know that."

"But I have to go," Cloud mumbled sleepily. "I have to go, over the mountains, to be with him."

"Over the...?" Zack knew the phrase sounded familiar, but didn't make the connection until he heard Tifa gasp with recognition.

"Cloud, no!" She ignored the danger, ran to Zack's side, shaking her head. "Cloud, no, you can't!"

"Tifa...?" Cloud's brow wrinkled. He blinked his eyes; for a split second he appeared his normal self, only confused, but immediately went back to his dazed expression. "But I have to... I can be with you and Za-kun and Aerith and--"

"Cloud, wherever that thing's gonna take you, it's not going to be anyplace happy." Zack heard an outburst from behind but didn't take his eyes off from Cloud. Tifa turned though, cursed and looked back at Cloud.

"Zack, more monsters," she started, and he shook his head, raised his voice.

"Cloud, Tifa and I are here. In this world. Here and now and not wherever that thing will take you! You have to come back to us."

"Zack... Tifa... I'm sorry." Cloud shook his head, raised a hand to his temple, and only then did Zack notice that it was his left hand, without glove or bandage, and on the back of his left hand, shown clearly, was a single black mark. "But I have to... he's calling me."

"Cloud...!" He drew the Buster Sword, ran forward. The dragon roared and reached for Cloud with its open maw, but Zack reached it first, drove the blade straight into the reaching blue flesh. Cloud screamed when the sword made contact, clutched at his head and fell over, but Zack just knew he had to keep it off, keep it away from his friend, felt himself launching into a complex series of swordstrokes--

It ended when he leaped into the air and brought his sword down upon the creature's head, crushing the skull and slicing through it all at once, so that the entire body crashed to the pavement. Zack was only aware of pain in his body, of silence so sharp in the air it stung, and when he turned his head he saw Cloud staring at him, and the green was gone from his eyes, and though his left hand bled where the black mark had been, there was something in Cloud's eyes that Zack had only seen once before, on top of a rocky outcropping overlooking the Midgar Valley, something that said _I love you_ \--

And then the heat inside was too much, and Zack, without any warning, fell over. He was aware of Cloud's voice, of Cloud's arms, of Cloud up on his feet supporting him, embracing him, holding him, and then that awareness slipped into exhaustion, and sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Vincent stood in the dark room, with his back against the door, blocking the one source of light, the window that looked out into the hallway. The light was weak as it was; it was dim outside, lit only by safety lights, so what came in was even less than that. Most of his face was hidden by the mantle; he had not yet had a chance to change back into the Turk uniform.

"He seems all right. Melantha said it was a combination of stress and exhaustion."

"It was the Omnislash." The voice was Cloud's, across the room. Not sitting on the room's single bed, but curled up in one of the corners. "It can do that to you. He hasn't been awake for that long. He's been pushed too hard."

"I don't doubt it." He looked up, made out Cloud's shape in the darkness easily enough with his sight--Chaos's sight, the demon was stirring enough it was affecting his senses more than usual. "I am sorry, Cloud. We can't--"

"They're right, you know. Everyone is safest this way." He turned his head away, rested his cheek against his knees. "Safest this way," he repeated, dully. "When?"

"Gren is on his way. He is going to be briefed by the others, and Melantha will speak to him about a few things, and then..."

"Tranquilizers. Rooms like this. That darkness..." His body shuddered, and Vincent moved away from the door. He had been told that if he had left the sight of the window that someone would come in to check, but he ignored the threat and went to Cloud's side. The door did not open; no one checked to make sure Cloud wasn't killing him. So he knelt down, sat down more awkwardly, and circled his arms around the smaller body. He covered Cloud in his cape, rested his cheek against the blond hair, closed his eyes and listened as Cloud turned his own head, buried his eyes in Vincent's sleeve, shook and cried silently.

"We will come for you," Vincent promised. "We won't let this last. We will find the ones behind this and we will stop them, and you can walk in the sun again. We will take you away... far away from Junon, from this..." It was a litany. Comforts, promises, that he hoped to keep. He could not stop what he knew was coming soon for Cloud, but he could grant Cloud one moment of comfort. He shifted his arms, pulled Cloud closer, whispered into his ear. It wasn't much, and it wasn't enough, but it was something.

***

Zack woke with a start, sitting up and reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. He blinked in surprise to find himself in a familiar medical bed, but as he looked around he realized that the last time he was in this room, it wasn't him on the bed, it was Cloud, and he sat on the chair beside the bed. He turned his head, looked down distractedly at the wire taped to the back of his hand, then at the chair that wasn't there. Instead, it was behind the health monitoring equipment, and sitting in it was an unfamiliar man in a First Class uniform, sans helmet. He nodded to Zack.

"Glad to see you're with us, sir." He smiled, grim. "Keith Gales. We met before?"

It took him a few moments to register the name, but he nodded. "Yeah... yeah, I remember. But... what the hell happened?"

"Apparently you passed out after performing the Omnislash technique on the creature trying to take the Commander away," Keith said. "Strife seemed to suffer from a moment of flashbacks, from what I heard; he didn't want to give you up even when the medics showed up. They put him under, gave him some new trank designed specifically for him... And they put him in a certain holding cell around here. Masamune was gone again, no one could find it. The execs and Avalanche held a meeting..." Keith stood up, flicked a switch on the machines, and then carefully peeled the tape away from Zack's skin, pulling the wire with it. Straightening, he shrugged. "And a few hours ago, Strife was taken away."

Zack stared for a moment in disbelief. "They... The bastards actually did it. They sent him back?!"

"I dislike the idea of having him somewhere out of sight as much as the rest of SOLDIER, sir, but they deliberated on it for several hours. The truth of the matter is, last time they took him away, nothing abnormal happened. Nothing. Maybe a few rogue monsters, but not these goddamned hybrids that keep swarming--"

"I know, I know," Zack muttered, leaning his head in his hands. "Gods... I couldn't help but hope that... There has to be something better than that."

Keith was silent for some time, then finally turned toward the door. He didn't leave, but picked up a few things in the chair beside the door, and put them on the bed besides Zack. "Some spare clothes, sir."

"Don't call me sir." It was an automatic response, and had no heart in it, but Keith put a hand on his shoulder.

"Zack, sir, my last duty for the night is to see you awake. If you want, sir, when you're done with your business in the building... we could finish our conversation from before. I think you want to hear what I have to tell you."

"My business?" Zack muttered.

"Debriefing, sir. I'm to escort you to Reeve's office."

"Damn... What time is it?"

"Oh-one-hundred, sir, or close enough to it."

"Reeve's still here?"

"They all are. They're still trying to figure out what to do."

Zack nodded, pushed aside the blankets and reached for the clothes. They were his, all right, but he didn't have the peace of mind to be annoyed that someone had gone to Cloud's apartment and rifled through their things to find some for him. Keith turned to the room's phone and dialed, and spoke quickly into it while Zack changed. Then he lifted his helmet and set it firmly on his head, snapping the visor down before turning to Zack and nodding.

"Your Buster Sword's outside, sir."

Zack pulled on his jacket. "Right. Let's go."

The walk seemed longer than usual and the entire building felt strange to Zack. There were more troopers and Soldiers walking the halls even at this hour than he had seen since he woke from his three year sleep, and the air was tense enough to remind him of the years of the Wutai War.

Soldiers waited outside of Reeve's office and before they opened the doors, Keith told Zack he'd be waiting in the lobby. Zack only nodded, absently putting the information aside as he walked in. He couldn't pay attention to all of the faces inside, couldn't keep straight who among the Avalanchers was there and who wasn't, but focused immediately on Reeve. He nodded, but didn't hold back any of his frustration when he spoke.

"Why the hell did you have to ship him back to Gren?" The room instantly grew quiet and Reeve himself flinched, looked away.

Tifa was at his side, put one hand on his shoulder and another on his arm, a cautious grip. "Zack," she said, "please wait and hear us out. Please. We need your help--"

He pulled out of her arms, glared at her, swept his gaze across the others before turning it back to her. "I don't have to help Shinra or Avalanche. I stayed because of Cloud. He was the only reason I stayed--"

"Then you're staying for precisely the same reason as Sephiroth," Rufus suddenly said, and every head in the room turned towards the copresident, who once again stood at one side of Reeve's desk. His fingertips rested over several files that covered that side of the desk. "I wish I could put this to you in a more gentle manner, Donovan," he said, "but Cloud is Sephiroth's target and Sephiroth's key. We're not entirely certain just how he plans on using him, but Cloud is the only reason the old Commander hasn't disappeared into the Lifestream." He lowered his voice. "And I have to admit that I find it curiously similar to your own situation."

"What the hell--?" But before he could start forward again Tifa was in his way, both hands on his arms, staring him directly in the face. She spared only a short glare over her shoulder before concentrating her eyes on Zack.

"Keep your theories about Zack to yourself, Rufus, until Melantha gets back to us." She shook her head, her expression shifted to worry, to weariness. "Zack, listen, please. If you don't want to help us, then that's your decision. And you're right, after everything that's happened, you have no obligation to any of us. But," she said, paused, swallowed, "Cloud needs you. And if you can help us, then maybe we can get him back and set things right again. Please, Zack."

He raised his eyes to Rufus, who met his stare coldly, and then relaxed, leaned back. Tifa released him.

"Then what are your plans?"

"I wish we knew," Reeve muttered, running a hand over his face. "We've closed down the docks, refused ships harbor, and evacuated lower Junon's citizens into upper Junon. We've increased the patrols and shut down any non-critical railway tunnels... but there are no monsters, and there is no sign of Sephiroth. We don't know what else to do."

"There's been no sign of Kurai?" he asked.

"Not a single goddamned hair," Cid spat out from nearby. "Yuffie was out with Elena earlier to check things out, but there's been nothing and they've been gone for hours."

"We need to rest," Tifa said. "We can't do anything more tonight."

"Lockheart has a point, unfortunately," Rufus said, looking to Reeve. "I think we should all retire and reconvene in the morning."

The copresident nodded. "I'll second that notion." He stood, met Zack's eyes. "Donovan, I... We won't hold you to anything. If you wish to help us, just come back here when you're ready. We'd be more than glad to have you."

Zack said nothing; he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He turned away from the others, left the room, and though guilt told him he should speak with Tifa, he didn't think he could stay in the building any longer that night. It felt too odd. It was all too strange.

In the main lobby, Keith Gales was waiting for him as promised, dressed in civilian clothing. The young Soldier nodded to Zack as he stepped out from the elevator, and pulled on his own coat before they stepped out into the chilled air.

"Where are you boarding, sir?" Keith asked, but Zack shook his head.

"I can't go back just yet."

Keith actually seemed relieved. "Good to hear. My apartment's not too far away, and I don't think I could walk to two places tonight anyway."

"Mm. Lead the way, then."

"Sir."

"Zack."

"Sorry. Habit."

"The military does that to you."

The walk was a short one, and led them back to the military apartments. They paused outside of Keith's so he could scratch the complex's watchdog behind the ears, and then Keith took Zack inside his apartment. It was smaller than all of the housing Zack had been in since he had been awake and strangely refreshing because it was so normal.

"Never thought I'd find myself missing the good ol' days," he muttered, taking off his coat.

"Sit down at the table, if you like," Keith said, walking into the small kitchen. "Wanna drink?"

"No thanks." He sat down, watched as Keith came back, effortlessly popping off the top of a beer bottle. Keith glanced down outside the nearest window before sitting down. "So, what did you want to tell me."

"About Strife."

"Yeah."

"Ames Jennison was the name of the Soldier who happened to hear the Commander in the showers that day. After his normal exercises. It was back before we had all gotten accustomed to his schedule since his return from Wutai." He took his first sip, eyes to the table. "That was when things really seemed to change. More than when he first spoke to us."

"That was when he started acting more like the old Commander?"

"Yes. Ames had been... my roommate for a long time, even back in Midgar. So I was the first to know what happened. It started out simply enough; he had just finished training, and went to take a shower." Keith tipped the bottle back and seemed to think for a moment before swallowing. Then he looked at Zack, and said, "Ames would tell you that he heard the shower running, and then a moan. He went to see if the Commander was all right, and then he heard another moan, this time with a name... and Ames left."

"A moan..." Zack's voice hardened. "Not one of pain, I take it."

"The first one, Ames told me, it was harder to tell. The second one, he said, was a bit more obvious." Another sip, and Keith carefully placed the bottle down on the table. "He said the Commander was quiet, so quiet that the water running would have hidden most of the noise, but... well. That's only what Ames would tell you. He told me a bit more."

Zack's gaze narrowed, and Keith glanced up at him before returning his stare to the table.

"A shadow," Keith said.

"A shadow?"

"Yes. Strife was in the shadows... where there shouldn't have been, because even though the only lights on were the safety lights--"

"The lights weren't even on?"

Keith shook his head. "No, it was just the safety lights. And Strife himself... when Ames saw him... had braced himself against the wall. He was shaking, Ames said." He cleared his throat, swirled his drink in the bottle before picking it up and taking another sip. "But Ames didn't say all that when he spoke to the older Soldiers about it. He only told them some--he told me he didn't think he could have ever imagined seeing Strife so vulnerable--but then another Soldier mentioned that there was a trooper that began appearing more and more often around Sephiroth, before that mission to Nibelheim. It was never obvious, and the trooper wore his helmet and his uniform with the collar up all the time, of course, because he was always on duty. And then another Soldier said, 'You don't mean the little scrawny kid always with Zack?' And then another said, 'You mean the one Sephiroth fucked in the showers?'"

Zack's fist slammed into the table. "That's a lie."

Another shake of the head, and Keith leaned back in his seat. "If you believe that, then you explain why the hell Reno started showing up at your doorstep back then more and more often. Or why any of the Turks, for that matter, would ever shadow the kid in the first place--though I guess Sephiroth himself caught wind of that, because after awhile they didn't do it but occasionally. Not that any of the other men saw, anyway."

"Sephiroth hardly knew Cloud existed. He couldn't have--"

"Zack," Keith said, and the burning hazel eyes locked with his. "You should know, better than anyone, that if Sephiroth ever wanted anything, he took it."

"But..." Zack leaned his forehead against his hand, because Keith was right. Sephiroth had always wanted few things, but the things he had wanted... he always took, and since it was Sephiroth, no one ever told him he couldn't have it. It was one of the reasons Zack had been as terrified as anyone else when Sephiroth began to go insane; if his desires went out of control, then there would be nothing that he could not take. "But Cloud... Cloud would have told me... He would have told me something."

"Would he, Zack?" Keith questioned. "Think about it. Strife was a young, idol-worshiping recruit. If you had been in his boots, and the Great Sephiroth began coming onto you--if he bothered with formalities--would you have been able to tell anyone about it?"

"But I wasn't just anyone, Gales," he snapped. "I was his best friend--his only goddamned friend--"

Keith's eyes and voice were cold as he interrupted with "What if the Great Sephiroth ordered you not to speak a word of it to anyone? Best friend, Turk, or random whore in Wall Market?" Zack fell silent, and the First Class nodded. "Exactly. This was Sephiroth. The man had a reputation to protect, for his own interests, not just the Shinra's. And if Strife was so infatuated that he believes he's still getting raped in the shower stalls... do you think a recruit would have dared to do anything other than obey?"

"Rape." Zack ran a hand over his eyes. "Gods. Not that."

"There's no telling how consensual it was."

"I know that. I know that. It's just..."

Keith took a deep breath. "And then Ames... not too long after he told the others... he disappeared, and I never saw him again."

"Cloud said he was dead."

"The file said he was missing in action."

Zack blinked. "Then..."

Keith's eyes were averted, again, and Zack could see just how hard it was for Keith to speak about this. "He disappeared about a month after Strife disappeared, while on patrol in the lower city."

"But Cloud was admitted to the mental institution. You can't think he was responsible for Ames's disappearance?"

"We know. But I still find it strange. I..." Keith picked up his drink, finished it off. "Ames was important to me. I just want to know what happened to him." He stood up, went to the kitchen and threw away the bottle. "Was it Strife? I don't think so. Was it Sephiroth? I'm not so sure anymore. With Masamune's disappearance..." The younger man looked up at last. "How are we so sure that history's not repeating itself? What if Strife goes insane, or Sephiroth is alive after all? Can we really expect Strife to be able to defeat him again? Would he even want to?"

"Keith..." Zack stood, looked out the window. "Cloud's always done what was right. He's always tried to do what was right. If Sephiroth came back... Cloud would fight against him."

"But no matter how inhuman his capabilities, Zack," Keith said, just as softly, "he's still human like the rest of us. Just like the rest of us, he gets tired, worn down... I have the feeling this has been wearing him down for a long time. And, even more importantly, just like the rest of us... just like myself and Ames... and just like your feelings for him... just like us, his feelings can blind him, bind him, and force him to do the unthinkable. It's just a matter of which feeling is stronger."

Zack pulled on his coat. He said nothing else but a few words of gratitude and farewell before he left, and he felt Keith's eyes on his back until he reached the end of the walkway outside the apartment.

***

The lights had been out for several hours. Cloud vaguely remembered gauging just how much time had passed by following the track of the moonlight across the wall, making miniscule notches in the wall and floor with his fingernails, using a watch he had Yuffie smuggle in for him. The watch had been confiscated the next morning but he had the notches then, and notches that none of the aides, nurses, or Gren himself seemed to be able to see. Then he had realized that he had been inside for so long that his notches were no longer accurate because of the sun and moon and the seasons turning, and then he had been taken someplace else where there was no sun or moon at all.

So here he was. Again.

Footsteps outside. He recognized that stride, pushed himself as far back into the dark corner as he could go, watched the door leading into his room. It opened, and Gren walked in, looked down at Cloud with a small, benign smile.

"There you are. I don't know why we even have a cot in this room anymore. You never use it."

"Stay away from me," Cloud said, but Gren shook his head, tsk'ed, walked right to him and squatted down in front of him.

"Avalanche apparently felt it best that you come back under my care, in order to stop you from nearly killing any of them again. Isn't that a shame?"

Cloud's body tensed. "You... You're the one... Back in the apartment, you're the one that tried to--"

"Exactly," Gren said. "The fact was never hidden from you, specimen. You've known it all along. You just hid the knowledge from yourself." Another smile, of a different kind. "Your tendency to mentally block your unpleasant memories is particularly useful. Especially when you're given a little help." He gripped Cloud by the arm, stood and pulled Cloud to his feet. Cloud stumbled, still heavily drugged, but Gren continued to pull him along, outside into the hall. It was dark, even out in the hallways, and Cloud could feel something in the air, something that made the entire facility feel wrong. Gren shoved him into an elevator, walked in after him, thumbed a button, and only watched Cloud curiously as they descended.

"Come, now. I doubt you're as shocked as you seem."

The elevator's door opened. Gren pulled Cloud out again, pushed him forward, ordered him to keep walking. Cloud felt too dazed to keep track of where they were going; instead, there was a growing fear. He knew these corridors, he knew this smell, he knew where this was going--

"No..." He stopped, heard Gren's footsteps stop behind him. He turned, shook his head, eyes widening. "No, I'm not... I can't...!"

"Won't you?" Gren said. He stepped forward, reached inside his labcoat and pulled out a vial, quickly shook its contents into his hand. Cloud immediately broke into a run, but he was too drugged, too slow, and before he had taken ten steps Gren snatched him by the wrist and flung him into one of the nearest walls. Cloud grunted from brief pain, realized the wall felt damp behind him, struggled to push himself back up before one of Gren's hands pinched his nose and the other closed over his mouth. Cloud tasted the capsules that Gren had shoved into his mouth and shut his eyes, struggled, tried to pull his head away so he could spit them back out. But Gren's grip was too strong, and the suffocation and being pinned to the wall forced him into a blind panic; he gasped, swallowed, felt the capsules slide down. Gren's hands immediately shifted to hold him against the wall as he struggled to break free, struggled to force himself to gag, vomit, something.

But Gren was patient, and at the moment stronger than he was. Cloud's struggles slowed, dwindled into one final shudder, and Gren finally pulled away, taking Cloud by the wrist.

"Let's try this again, shall we?"

He led Cloud further and Cloud stepped after him slowly, eyes not even half-open. They entered a chamber, walked very far inside, until they finally stopped. Before them, towering over them, was a solid black cube. Cloud stared at it uncomprehendingly, until finally there was some spark of recognition in his eyes, a spark of fear, and he backed up right into Gren as the side of the cube in front of them shifted. One part of the wall slid inward and black melted into black; it was almost impossible to make out where the cube ended and the opening inside began.

"She's been waiting for you," Gren said, stepping forward. Cloud was actually trembling against him, trying weakly to push back as Gren continued to nudge him closer to the opening. "I tried feeding her other specimens while you were away, but none of them tasted as good as you. All those fears, all those doubts, all those moments of extreme pain and pleasure... and deep within, that will that refuses to break entirely. Heh, there's a reason the Box loves you." He shoved Cloud forward, and Cloud stumbled, stepped over the threshold and into the Box. Immediately he turned, tried to run back out, but a black metal claw snatched him by the ankle and pulled. Gren watched as Cloud fell, watched Cloud's hands scrabbling to hold onto the side of the Box, the fear so great he was unable to scream, only cry. He walked to the side of the entrance where Cloud held on, while several long, black cables from inside the Box began to encircle around Cloud's body, crawling up his arms, wriggling around his neck.

"You know, Cloud Strife," Gren said, and began to pry, one by one, Cloud's fingers from their loose hold of the Box, "she won't let you go, and the sooner you begin, the sooner the pain will be over. The sooner you begin," he repeated, "the sooner he will be back."

Cloud shook his head, looked at Gren's face in a brief moment of clarity just as the professor pulled loose the last of Cloud's fingers. Cloud was pulled into the Box and into the darkness, and instantly the entrance closed up, and the side of the Box seemed as seamless as before. Gren straightened, patted the Box on its side, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he turned around.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you were."

"Hmm, nothing too important." Dark eyes glanced down at him before concentrating again on the Box. "Pandora's Box will not hurt him."

"No more than is necessary. He has quite a spirit. It takes time to break him down, and we never managed it completely the first time." He walked elsewhere into the chamber. "We need to begin prepping the Mako chamber. It will take some time before it's ready."

***

Zack woke suddenly, sat up and looked around for any signs, for anything, reached with one hand automatically to feel the shoulder of someone who wasn't there. When he realized that, he looked down at the empty spot beside him on the bed, and took a deep breath, released it as he fell back onto the bed.

"Not like I can't deal with being alone," Zack muttered, looking up at the ceiling, "but dammit, I can't even remember what it was like those days when I was looking for you, kiddo... And I didn't even get the chance to say... Urgh." He rolled over, pulled one of the spare pillows over the back of his head.

 _Seph, you bastard. If you were--you should have told me--_

 _"Perhaps I tried. What would you say to that, Zack?"_

The sudden intrusion of that voice made him start, and he sat up, but was unsurprised to see nothing, no one in the room. Even the shadows looked normal, and there was no unnatural chill in the air.

A glance at the clock and he realized it was nearly seven in the morning. Granted, he hadn't gotten much sleep, but he doubted he could get any rest now that he was fully awake. He pushed back the covers, went through his morning rituals, but kept looking over his shoulder, reaching for someone who simply wasn't there anymore. It was strange and he knew it was what made walking through the Shinra hallways so odd the day before. Once he had seen Cloud again, they had just fit back together again, just so, and even when Zack had been on his own... that knowledge had still been there. They had still fit together, even when not right beside one another physically. It had been right.

 _Just like in Midgar, back when we were all together._ Zack shook his head, locked the apartment behind him and stepped out into the cold air. _Or... whatever it was back then._ He watched the early morning bustle on the streets, saw that the Junon people weren't so afraid to stop business completely, and realized that, unlike the rest of them, Zack had no where to go.

"Oi."

He looked to his right, and there was Reno, leaning against the wall, tapping his nightstick impatiently against his shoulder.

"What?"

"Got bad news, Zack." He straightened. "The kid's going to be taken into intensive, isolated treatments tomorrow afternoon." The Turk watched him, could see how Zack's jaw clenched, and shook his head. "And you missed an important part of the meeting the other day. Though if you spoke to First Class Gales, then you already know."

Zack put his hands in his pockets. "What?"

"The kid and Sephiroth." Reno came closer, clipped his nightstick to his belt before fishing out some cigarettes and his lighter. "Avalanche knows."

"What?"

"Wasn't our plan. We even lied about knowing that the photos existed, said that there were other Turks around at the time who might have done all the surveillance work of the Commander. Tifa and the fire lion found the evidence in the kid's own cabin home. Guarded by a Clone, no less." He cupped his hands around the cigarette as he lit it, took a small puff before flicking the lighter closed and shoving it into one of his blazer pockets. He shrugged, breathed out. "Then that little scene in front of that dragon the other day... Not even the other Avalanchers were that stupid. It all just made a crazy kinda sense to them, why the kid did the things he did."

"What did she find?"

"Photographs. The kid must've found 'em in the old Shinra vaults, when he took that little trip down. Otherwise, we don't know how he got 'em. They're photos that are even missing from our archives." A shake of the head, and the redhead looked to Zack and held out his cigarette. "Wanna smoke? Because the boss would like to talk to ya, show you a little something that not even the others know." He paused. "We figured you'd want to confirm it for yourself, instead of just going by the word of--"

"Let's go," Zack muttered. "But this doesn't mean anything."

"'Course not," Reno said, falling in beside him. "Doesn't mean a thing. If you're still royally pissed off at everyone when we're through, then you can go and be pissed off wherever you want. But I think you'll want to stay and help the kid."

They didn't speak of anything else on the way back to the building, though Zack was beginning to wonder where Vincent could be.

 _Come to think of it, he wasn't with the other Avalanchers last night. Nanaki wasn't, either._ He asked Reno where they were, and Reno shrugged.

"The fire lion's with Melantha in her lab. Valentine was out doing some investigating himself, or so he told us. Didn't say where the hell he was going, just said he'd be in touch with the PHS if we needed him."

They reached A Block in the Shinra Building and Reno led Zack to Rufus's office. The doorway's guard had definitely changed; Rude was no longer nearby but two Soldiers were. Reno ignored their salutes as he went through the security to get inside, but Zack got a prickly feeling all along his arms. Although all of the Soldiers' eyes were hidden by the visors of their helmets, he couldn't help but feel that they were all looking at him for some reason.

"Boss," Reno said, walking into the room, and Zack bit back a frustrated sound before following the Turk inside the office. The door closed and Reno walked into the side of the office still covered with shadows and darkness; Zack could just see him, moving about, checking something in the wall.

"Donovan." Rufus stood at the windows, head turned to look at Zack. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation."

"Not like I could refuse."

"I know."

"What else happened at the meeting the other night? What about those photos--?"

"Cloud really told you nothing...? He's full of surprises, isn't he."

It was the cool, considering tone of Rufus's voice that caused Zack to stop his pacing, and he whirled to see Rufus staring at the windows, hands clasped behind his back, expression as calm as usual. "You knew. You knew--"

"Of course I knew, Donovan," Rufus snapped, his glare matching Zack's despite the lack of Mako. "If Gales told you everything, then it should have been obvious. The Turks used to keep an eye on Cloud. Who else did you think they reported to?" He pointed to a black case on his desk. "And if that's not enough proof, then the surveillance recordings should certainly be." He crossed his arms, looked back to the windows. "All this time... and you were the first person I thought he'd tell."

Zack picked up the case, cracked it open to see a VHS cassette inside. "What is this...?"

"Check the dates."

He did, and nodded, shutting the case and his eyes. "Before Nibelheim."

"Reno would tell you, as well, that it didn't stop there. The instances are few, but even after Cloud joined Avalanche..." Rufus shrugged, walked to the windows and began tracing letters in the frost. "I play a game to win, Donovan. But right now, Sephiroth is poised to checkmate. Pandora's Box... Oasis and the evening sun... Even your return. And now Cloud's back in his very own personal hell... It's too organized. Too planned." He stepped back, went back to his desk and sat down while Zack stared at the letters written on the glass.

"Mine...? The hell?"

Rufus held up another cassette and Zack took it as well. "Cloud always did carry his ghosts with him," he murmured, and Zack looked at the dates on the cassette, as well as the location.

"Your office... this would have been right after Cloud was released..." Zack blinked, realization cutting through him as sharply as the Buster Sword. "Oh, hell."

"Don't worry," Rufus said with a sharp grin. "After the nasty bite Cloud gave me afterwards--also thanks to the dear departed Commander, no doubt--I won't try my hand at that again. Not unless you and Valentine let him go, of course." He took the cassette back, gestured to the one Zack still held in his other hand. "Reno will retrieve that from you when you're finished. But I'd hurry. To the rest of the world, these tapes don't exist--and Cloud would prefer to keep things that way. So to the rest of the world, we have no evidence, and the Shinra cannot undo what it has done."

Zack nodded. "Understood... only, what the hell am I supposed--"

Rufus tossed him another file. "Valentine got in touch with me not too long ago. This was unloaded from a cargo ship from Wutai three years ago, right after Meteor fell, and about the same time Gren took up office at the institution."

He opened the file, stared at the documentation describing an unusual piece of cargo, massive, a cube, that required a crane to get it moved onto a transportation vehicle, and then onto one of the underground trains...

"Where it got attacked, and the cargo lost. They thought it was a crate?" Zack looked at the file's label, then flipped beyond the report to the photographs he had seen before the mission to Wutai, the ones revealing the giant black cube. "Pandora's Box. Gren. And let me guess, this is the same problem?"

"No solid evidence," Rufus agreed. "Melantha's been in her lab ever since you returned from Wutai, doing what she can to figure out the connection between the evening sun and the oasis, the Jenova cells, Sephiroth's cells, the possibility of a 'cure' or 'vaccine' of some sort... Valentine's doing what he can from his end. We need you to do yours, and then we can alert Reeve and Avalanche and get Strife out of there."

"Understood..." An absent mumble, as he shut the file and put it back on the desk. Everything he had heard... _Gods. Cloud... Seph..._

"Then let's move, Zack," Reno drawled, emerging from the shadows from the other side of the office. "The kid'll be moved into isolated treatments tomorrow afternoon. Then nobody'll have the chance to see him until the doctor says so--"

"Or Sephiroth comes back and kills us all," Zack muttered. "Right."

***

Things were clear only in moments of brightest pain. There was nothing else to ground oneself in. There was no gravity, no weight, only the darkness and the knowledge that whatever else happened could only be worse than whatever had come before.

One moment, Cloud thought he was walking along a lattice-work of branches--or roots?--that led to the very center of everything, everything that mattered, and in his hands, pulsating in time with his heart, was a black stone that only mattered because it was what Sephiroth wanted from him, and he would give whatever he could. But when he thought he glimpsed the center of everything, he took a step and he wasn't where he thought he was supposed to be.

He stood on the path that led into the Nibelheim mountains. All around him was ash, smoke, dust, and the sickening sweet smell of Mako. It lashed up against the sides of the mountains, flared out from below, from the sharp drops on either side of the path, filled with clouds that echoed with screams, wails, voices that pleaded for mercy, for hope.

He had no mercy to give them. No hope for them. He didn't even have any for himself. Only...

The mountains. The black mountains. They said that when someone passed away, they went beyond the mountains. But where?

Cloud stared at the path, paved with bones and skulls and the black cloaks of all the failures that had come before him. He stared, and at once he was twenty-three and he was eight, and his flesh thrummed with the vibrance of Mako and his eyes burned with something--something that shone blue, something that stung and tasted like salt.

"Are you afraid?" asked a soft voice. Soft, softer than that, a warm embrace, a softness to lay his head on, a softness to stroke his hair--soft, soft, and he looked beside him, at the woman who was at once taller than himself and yet the same height, and she smiled at him and he felt as though he might break and crumble to dust and bones on the path--it was kind, she was so kind, and the sorrow that streaked his cheeks cut into him then, hurt him it was so strong and--

"Mama," he breathed, and she took him by his hand and he was eight, all over again.

"If you want to find him, darling, you'll need to come with me," she said, still smiling. "To the other side of the mountains."

"But Mama, I'm scared," he said, and pulled back, shaking his head.

"Cloud..." She knelt down, and together they looked behind them, to where the path descended back into Nibelheim, and all that was there was a blazing inferno, more screams, and a wall of black-robed forms at the steps leading back into town, and they all stared at him, stared-- "Cloud," she said again, and when he looked her eyes were on him again, cold and mirror-like. She was soft, but the hand that held his was cold now, and the hand that touched his face, smoothed back his bangs, smelled like smoke, like burning--burning-- "Cloud, you can't go back, there's no place to go. It will be all right." And when she smiled, half of her face split, crackled, the skin peeling away and falling into cinders, revealing a blue-skinned woman beneath, her cold eye gleaming red, her hair falling silver over his mother's skin, his mother's dress, and her smile unkind. "I will be with you," she said, and he stared in fright, wanting to run away as she leaned closer to kiss him on his forehead. "I will be with you."

"Cloud?" And he turned and there was Sephiroth, looking at him from the bedroom door with his eyes narrowed, his brow not-quite furrowed, his expression of concern. "Are you all right?"

And he looked down, stared in guilt at his left arm, the bandage loosened, dangling from his fingers. He realized he wore the First Class uniform and he swayed; before he fell, Sephiroth's arms were around him and had helped him to bed. Sephiroth removed their boots before lying beside him, as fully-clothed as he was, and held his left arm, his fingertips sliding across the tender skin, the white scars, before slipping the entirety of the bandage off his hand. Cloud shuddered, and his breathing began to skip as he noticed the scars reopening, crimson lines sliding across the white of his skin.

Sephiroth stared too, as if fascinated, and turned Cloud's hand over. "There it is."

And there, black and bold and clear on Cloud's hand, was the old numeral for "one." Cloud caught his breath, enough to squeeze out, "My number?"

A soft chuckle. "Not yours. Not even ours. But mine."

This, as black-gloved fingers drew down Cloud's skin, and Cloud began licking his arm, suckling on the blood as Sephiroth kissed him with blood-stained lips, stroking him, touching him, making him--

And he bit down on his own cry as he came, found himself curled on the floor, his forehead pillowed on his arm on the floor, his other hand between his legs, the carpet digging into his skin and when he looked up there was nothing but the inn's mirror and there was someone in the mirror looking down at him with such--nothingness in his eyes, no emotion, no kindness, no--

Cloud shook his head, "Zack," he cried, sorrow streaking his cheeks but Zack turned away, walked away in the mirror world, opened the door out the bedroom and walked out of sight.

And then he found himself sobbing in a decrepit church, the flowers growing out of the heap of pink and red clothing, mostly red, there was the vest and there was the bloodstain on the pink dress and there, there was the shirt that had been white before but was now red, red like the blood on the dress, they were such different people but their blood was the same, their blood was the same, his blood--

"You are not the same." Zack's voice again, and Cloud lowered his Ultima Weapon from his morning exercises on the cliffs, turned to see Zack for the first time since Zack went beyond the mountains, and yet Zack's eyes, cold, mirror-like, like his mother's when she went beyond the mountains, too--

"Zack," and he curled up, knelt over, again, this time over a still and bleeding body on the top of a rocky outcropping, while it rained all around and he was covered in blood up to his elbows and his face and everything was so cold--

"Please..."

Cloud whispered, wrapped his arms around his stomach, opened his eyes to find himself in pitch blackness, sinking back against the cold ceiling, the cold floor, the cold wall--he didn't know. There was no gravity here, nothing but the darkness to ground oneself in. He sank back against the cold, tilted his head back and felt his plea scrape out between his clenched teeth, his chapped lips, and he didn't know his own voice anymore.

"Please..."


	15. Chapter 15

Aerith looked at him with her head cocked to the side. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, leaned back on his hands and looked up to the sky. "Well... think about it. All of the stars tonight. All of the flowers you've planted, that live only for a little while. What does that make us? We're no different from the flowers, are we? I mean, compared to an entire Planet..."

She wrapped her arms around her knees, and rested her chin on them. "I don't think you can say that."

"Why, then? Why... all of that death?"

"If we lived a hundred years or ten hundred, it wouldn't make that much of a difference," Aerith said. Her voice was quiet, her braid unbound. He thought about what it would be like to touch it, run his hand through her hair. "I don't think one can say that those who live longer accept death any better than those who live shorter lives."

"You think so?"

"Yes." She looked back at him, and all of her normal playfulness was gone, and the green in her eyes was dark, deep. He thought for a moment that she was some other person. "Is it so bad, to live like the flowers do? Short lives, maybe, but... think about the fragrance. How much you liked to touch them." She smiled, and reached to grasp one of his hands. "You even took off one of your gloves to touch one. I saw you when you thought I wasn't looking."

His cheeks grew hot but he wasn't sure if he was actually blushing, or what he would be blushing over: her hand holding his or the fact that she had caught him in a moment of complete vulnerability like that. "The fragrance?"

"Flowers live short lives, it's true," she said, pushing back some of her hair as the breeze picked up. "And maybe flowers can't even choose the time of their deaths, all of the time. But doesn't that make their time alive that much more important? How much better a single flower can make someone feel, who's never seen a single flower before... No, it's not much. Maybe even one flower can't make that much of a difference, when you compare it to the fate of the stars and the planets. But to one person, that's one experience in a time of limited experiences, before death, and what comes after."

"Do you...?" He stopped, shook his head, looked away. "Never mind. It's a stupid question--"

"Death is a change." She stood up, dusted off her dress, and looked at him again with eyes so deep he couldn't keep his gaze on hers, this time. "I don't know what it's supposed to be like. But if all I am is just one person, then I want to make it worth something. Don't you?" There was a note of uncertainty there, in her voice, that caused her question to tremble.

He could not look up at her. "I don't know what I want, Aerith," he mumbled, and pushed himself up on his feet. "I don't know at all, anymore."

***

"I was told by a great man when I was very small," Sephiroth said, looking out the window, his voice as quiet as the light of dawn on the horizon, "that death leads to rebirth."

He stared at the taller man with his full attention. It was hard not to give Sephiroth one's full attention whenever the Commander was around. "You're not afraid of anything, are you?"

Sephiroth bowed his head, eyes closed, something of a smile on his lips. "All men fear something. It's just whether or not you can handle that fear."

"But you can handle anything, you... I mean..." His voice trailed off as the older man came back to the bed, kissed him on the forehead, pushed him back down to the mattress. He sat on the edge and did nothing but stare at his face, appraise his eyes, stroke his cheek with one hand.

"There's so much that needs change, that needs death, that needs rebirth," Sephiroth whispered, "but there are some things that I never want to change. Or to remain constant, even while that something changes."

"Something?"

"Hmm, yes..." He kissed him, slow, sure. If there was any uncertainty or fear in the older man then, he could not feel it. He could not tell. So he closed his eyes and gave what he could.

***

He could not sleep that night. He had sat up, eyes wide, a cry on his lips, so that his mother stirred and, worried, came to his bedside. She shushed him, gave him a glass of water, sat beside him and held him. Still he could not sleep, and she eventually lay down with him, held him in her arms. She hummed an old Nibel song under her breath, stroked his hair, and eventually his mind wandered, moved towards her soft words. His eyes grew heavier, and he forgot the fear for a long time.

The first time he had shot someone, the first time he saw someone level a weapon at him, the fear came back. He did not want to die.

Zack found him later that night, wondered why he wasn't in his tent, was worried, he had said, and he could not stop shaking. He was ashamed. There he was, curled up at the base of a tree, and not two feet away was the pile of meager rations he had gotten down for dinner. But Zack had been kind to him, helped him in his own way, comforted him, spoke soft things to him. Zack was Zack. He was comfort, and more besides, but he couldn't tell Zack any of those things.

That night when he fell to the catwalk, half-conscious, when he saw Sephiroth disappear into the green, he was afraid. He did not see fear in Sephiroth's eyes, only shock, only something that might have been regret, and perhaps even something else but in the insanity he could not make it out. He remembered how he had laid there for a long time. He remembered not much else.

He remembered a night out in the cold. There was a chill rain. Zack couldn't start a fire, because they had nothing to start a fire with, and Zack was worried about attracting monsters anyway. He knew these things because Zack told him, Zack talked a lot those days, because Zack could and he couldn't. He tried once or twice, but at that time there was nothing. Just watching. Just waiting. Zack liked to lay with him close in his arms and he liked it too, liked how they fit together, he had always liked it, it was comforting, it reminded him of a different time, it reminded him--

And inevitably it would remind him of that piercing thought and he would be afraid.

That night, though, out in the cold, that night with Zack holding onto him for dear life, he could tell that Zack was afraid. He did not know how that reached him. It was strange what reached him and what did not. But Zack held onto him for dear life and so he began to hum, under his breath, his mother's Nibel song. Zack was afraid at first, spoke his name several times, or something like his name, but he continued to hum. It made him feel better. Eventually it made even Zack feel better; he pulled him around so his face rested against Zack's chest, and Zack could feel his humming as well as hear it, just as he could feel and hear Zack's heartbeat.

There was one night when he was all alone. It was raining. It had started hours ago. He didn't know when. He thought it might have been while he was crying.

There had been a body on the rocky outcropping. There had been his sword. So he had taken it. He had sat beside the body for a long time, in the rain.

Humming.

***

Zack walked into the mental institution, and was amused that, for once, the nurse playing receptionist seemed to have been expecting him.

"You guys still open, huh?" he asked her after she had paged Gren.

"Couldn't just close, sir," the receptionist nurse said. "It wouldn't do. Where else would all these poor souls go?"

He shrugged, walked to one of the walls to look at the tranquil art prints framed on the walls. Considering the stark colorscheme of the rest of the building, he found the pastels loud and unsettling. He wondered how a place filled with doctors who were supposed to be experts on psychology could let something so atrociously wrong happen in their front lobby, but then, the lobby wasn't where the patients were treated.

"I was hoping you'd come to visit, Zack."

He turned to see Gren, holding open one of the doors. "Professor."

"Cloud has been... not hard to handle, per se, but very distressed. I think it would do him good to see someone he knows." Gren smiled amicably. "Technically visitation hours don't start until later today, but for you we'll make an exception."

"Then let's go."

Gren shook his head. "You'll have to leave your weapon with the receptionist, I'm afraid."

Zack pulled the Buster Sword from his back and laid it down on the reception desk. The nurse stared at the huge weapon with wide eyes, but Zack couldn't reflect on the humor of the situation. Instead, he looked back at Gren, thought he might have seen--for a few brief seconds--an emotion that broke through the typical calm gentility. Then he joined the professor and, not feeling safe or comfortable at all, they started walking down the halls.

They had been walking for some time in silence before Zack asked, "So where is he? I didn't think the solitary cells were so far in."

"Strife is a special case." Something about Gren's voice changed. It remained casual, but there was a different weight in the undertone. "Of course, he might not be aware that you're there. We've only just let him out of the Box."

Zack stopped, and Gren turned on his heel, looking at Zack with eyes that were far from normal and glared with Mako. "Holy shit."

Gren smiled. "Amusing how the mind works, isn't it? It's so easy to repress or refashion memories... especially those that are particularly close to your feelings. And don't look so surprised. I knew the moment you showed up that the game was up. There's little point hiding anything between us now, is there?"

"You're a Clone?"

"Far from it. I don't have a drop of Sephiroth's cells anywhere within my body. Jenova, on the other hand, has thrived within me for quite some time. I dare say, she found me a more suitable host than even Hojo. He was an old fool, after all, and sought to manipulate her. True power, I've discovered, exists in going along with Jenova's thoughts and desires without resistance. It has made me a far stronger lifeform than most others that reside on this Planet." Gren shrugged his shoulders, then grinned viciously. "You should hear the way he screams, specimen. The way his fingers claw at whatever they can get a hold of... the way his eyes scream like his voice... the way he shatters, and all for his master... That, in the strongest, most powerful sense of the word, is love."

"You're fucking insane," Zack whispered. "You're... You've been--"

"Behind this entire charade? Of course. Most of it's out of scientific curiosity; I wanted to see how Sephiroth chose to come back. It's all become quite clear, especially since I was ordered to wake you up from your little nap."

"Where is he?" Zack said, tempted to run back for his sword, but knowing that the moment he did something terrible would happen.

"Sephiroth? With Cloud, of course. He's never left."

"That's not what I meant, you bastard. Where's Cloud?"

"Follow me. And please try to restrain yourself. This is a place of healing, after all." Gren turned and continued on his way, and Zack steeled himself for whatever he was bound to see.

 _Oh, gods, Cloud, why didn't we see any of this earlier? It's been under our noses, the entire time, and you..._

"You're sick, Gren," was all he managed to grind out between his teeth, and Gren actually laughed.

They entered a section of hallway that Zack didn't remember as ever being around, and Gren entered a specific passcode into a keypad beside a door. It opened into an elevator, and Zack checked the elevator's vents for any strange smells before stepping inside.

"Please," Gren muttered. "Gas you? If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that by now."

"So sure of yourself, are you?"

"Cloud knows better. It's a shame he cut his hair--his master was upset for that--but I guess I gave him reason to."

The elevator came to a stop at an undisclosed basement level, and opened into a dark hallway lit only by dim emergency lights. Gren whistled a tune as they walked down the hallway and into another corridor, then stopped to enter another passcode. He stood to the side and gestured for Zack to enter before him. With only a slight hesitation, Zack did so.

The chamber he entered was much larger than he thought he could see; just like outside in the hallways, there was only sparse lighting, and most of it came from computer terminals and--Zack tried not to think of the specimens Gren had used--Mako chambers containing various creatures, most of which he recognized as those that had started attacking Junon. It gave the room a surreal feel, even more so when he noticed a purple haze flowing along the floor, smelling faintly of the evening sun.

Footsteps behind him caused him to turn, and Gren walked past him with a simple nod.

"Keep going," was all he said.

So he did, until he saw something large and black among the shadows and dim lights. He hurried toward it, realizing it was a giant black cube, and stopped when he noticed one side of it was open, and lying curled up on a flat surgical table beside it...

"Cloud!" He didn't even bother to keep an eye on Gren, but ran forward to his friend, fearing the worst. When his hand touched Cloud's skin he nearly jerked it back, surprised at the coldness of Cloud's skin, and Cloud himself flinched away from the touch, and then Zack noticed that Cloud was curled about the sheathed Masamune and moved quickly to the other side of the table, trying to get a glimpse at Cloud's face. "Cloud," he said, more softly, lifting the blond bangs to put a hand to Cloud's forehead, feeling the brow wrinkle beneath his fingers and a shudder run through Cloud's body. "Cloud, please, it's me... please tell me you can hear me..."

"You might want to let him sleep," Gren said, standing across from him. "He hasn't slept since before that last attack on Junon. Pandora's Box prefers to keep its victims awake. It's more fun to play with them when they're conscious."

"Gren..." He glared up at him. "You..."

"Don't try anything foolish, specimen," Gren warned him. "While I'm always interested in testing my developing strengths, now is not the time for it. Besides, that's not what you're here for." He patted Cloud on the head with the fondness as one would a pet. "It's almost your turn, after all. Then we'll see if you're as strong as Cloud or I was."

"You were in the Box--"

"I was her first date, so to speak." He smiled, then, turned and walked away. "I'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't try to run off with him, because it won't be allowed."

Zack only watched Gren for a moment before returning his eyes to Cloud, stroking the side of his face. He tried to think of something to do, some way to escape, but his mind continually drew a blank and all he could think about was Cloud, lying there beneath him, so cold.

"Cloud, please..." He leaned down, kept his voice low, watched as Cloud's fingers tightened their grasp around Masamune's hilt and scabbard. "Cloud, we have to go... I have to get you out of here."

"Don't wake him, Zackary," another voice said from behind him, not Gren's, and Zack blinked when he felt one hand close around his wrist and another arm around his waist. "Let Cloud-kun sleep..." The whisper was hissed in his ear, and Zack imagined a fall of silver hair over his shoulder, but when he looked it was really dark red.

"The hell? Kurai?"

"Heh... Perhaps."

"Sephiroth, if that's you, I'm going to--"

"You speak of things as if they were so simple, Za-kun. You should know better than that." A pause, and a soft laugh, as he was pulled away from the table, from Cloud. His first thought was to struggle, but Kurai's hands and arms held him effortlessly. "I've yet to reclaim my body, and the time has not yet come. So I need you to do something for me."

"Like hell I'm going to help you now. What are you going to do to Cloud?"

"Hmm, stubborn to the last, are you?"

"Seph--"

"You have no one to blame for what's going to happen except yourself, you realize."

Zack started to open his mouth for another retort, but before he could react, Kurai's hands had whirled him around and shoved him forward. He cursed and stumbled forward, realized too late that he was pushed straight for Pandora's Box and tried to stop himself, but something reached for him from inside and pulled him in.

The darkness slid shut, seamless black on black. Kurai blinked, and turned dark eyes to where Gren had watched the interaction take place.

"Is everything on schedule?" he questioned, and Gren nodded curtly.

"The Box shouldn't take long. It's studied Cloud too well to take long with Donovan. With Sephiroth's influence, in any case... not long at all."

Kurai turned to look down at Cloud, running a hand through the blond hair and watching as the slender body shuddered. "I'll prepare the next wave, then."

***

Zack had whirled the moment he was released, moved forward with his arms in front of him, felt the solid wall. He moved along, carefully feeling for any cracks, any panels. He measured the wall from one side to the other: eight paces. He tried feeling closer along the bottom, and he tried standing up and feeling higher. There was... something lurking up there. The inside of the Box was quiet, but unnaturally so. There was something inside with him.

"What's your name, kiddo?"

It was his voice, but it came out of nowhere, from all around. Zack blinked, suddenly saw him watching himself, standing in his old room at the barracks, besides the bunk beds, and on his bunk bed, sitting on the edge all hunched over and bruised and bleeding from his lip-- _and other places_ \--was a younger Cloud Strife.

And the image was gone. The voice was gone. Zack tipped his head back, looked up into the darkness and could see nothing.

"Is that it? Is that all you do? Show memories? It'll take more than that to--"

"Won't it?" Before he could turn around, two arms came around him, one around his torso, one higher up so that the gloved hand could cup around his cheek. "I wonder, Zackary."

"You're not real."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Sephiroth's whisper sliced into his ear, sliced straight into his brain, and Zack winced at the sudden pain in his head, just before he felt a kiss at his cheek, and then he realized that he had felt it, had felt those lips, that smile, against his skin. "There's so much you'd like to think about, and I know it all."

"You can't."

"I do." A soft laugh, and the long fingers stroked his cheek. "All these things you think I didn't know, and I knew them even back then."

Zack tried to pull his head out from Sephiroth's grip but the man's fingers, though careful, were as unrelenting in their strength as ever. "Sephiroth, if it's you, then you'd--"

A softer voice, then, though the same. "What was that, Soldier?"

They were standing in the Commander's tent in Wutai. The air was cold, even with the brazier Sephiroth had brought in to help fend off the autumn chill, but there was heat between them, Zack knew. Heat, especially as Sephiroth pulled him closer to his body, rocked his hips against his back, and Zack arched back against him, even as Sephiroth began to lay kisses at his throat.

"S-sorry, sir, I forgot myself," he forced out between his teeth, and Sephiroth released him so he could turn around. There was something in the Commander's smile that didn't seem right, however.

"I thought you had said you would never call me 'sir' again."

Zack grinned. "Sorry, Seph."

"It's all right." But Sephiroth was no longer there, only--"We're not done with you yet."

The voice caused another bolt of pain and he realized he was in the darkness, yet again, black on all sides and there was something crawling over his skin. He could feel it coiling about his limbs, slithering around his face. He shuddered and fell away from it, or tried to break from it, but it held fast and then--

Cloud's face, beneath him, eyes squinting closed, mouth admitting air as he breathed erratically--

Cloud's hands, one in his hair, tangling there, the other roving his chest--Cloud's lips, the way he bit on the lower one as he was training--Cloud's lips, the way the tongue slipped out just enough to wet them--Cloud's lips, the way the tongue parted them to touch him, to taste him--to take him in--Cloud's body, small and light and transparent, always so cold because his body couldn't retain heat, he had laughed at that--Cloud's body arching under his hands--Cloud's eyes, Cloud's--

Cloud, against the shower wall, biting into Zack's hand but Zack unable to care, the pain a delightful counterpoint to the feeling of sliding inside of Cloud while his other hand grasped Cloud's cock. Cloud's hands had tried to brush his away but the trooper was too young, too weak, and now one hand was splayed against the tiles, pale fingers clawing desperately, and there would be tears on his face if the shower water wasn't washing them all away--

Cloud, sitting beside a body at the top of a cliff overlooking the Midgar valley, as rain fell down all around him, staring down at the corpse with large, wide, blue eyes, that said _I love_ \--

Cloud, cradling Aerith's body close as he waded out into a still blue lake, a lake the same blue as his eyes, and Aerith's dress was red, why was it red--

Cloud, watching Avalanche celebrating, standing alone until Vincent--

Cloud, standing alone in his office--

Cloud, in-between him and Sephiroth, hands resting on his shoulders as they kissed, Sephiroth's hands between them and he couldn't help but feel--

Alone, now, standing over two bodies, two bloodied corpses, and the heavy weight of the Buster Sword fell from his hand. It landed against the metal floor with an empty clang, and he hated himself, hated what he had done, hated the word that rang in the air with the Buster Sword's clear voice: _traitor_.

***

Vincent left the docks feeling tired and defeated. There was nothing to be found. Certainly, the warehouses where the monsters had come from had been owned by Wutanese trading companies, but that didn't tell them anything they hadn't known of before. There was no sign that Kurai had even come to the continent, after all.

 _At least there've been no reports from Nibelheim,_ he thought, walking along the Junon streets and taking one of the lifts up to the higher levels of the city. _So long as that place is quiet... at least we know he's not there._

The lift reached the level of the Shinra Building several minutes later, and Vincent looked up in annoyance when he felt a few drops of water on his head. The sky had grown dark and overclouded and yes, though it was faint, there was thunder. He could tell it was still miles off, and would take more hours to reach the shore, but he had hoped that they had escaped more rain for a time.

His PHS unit began to ring, and he reached inside his coat--he was back in the Turk uniform now--while stepping beneath the awning of a streetside cafe. There weren't many of them in Junon, but ever since the reconstruction of Junon, more had begun to crop up. He wondered how long any of them would be able to stay open, but by then he had the phone to his ear.

"Yes?"

"Vincent?" It was Tifa's voice on the other end, concerned. "Have you heard from Zack today?"

"No. Tifa, is something wrong?"

"Well, after we told him that it was up to him to decide to help us... Rufus and the Turks said that he had gone to the mental institution to see Cloud, and I thought for sure we'd have heard back from him by now. At least to give us a certain answer, you know?"

He moved farther away from the tables; the rain was coming down harder and other people had gotten the same idea, ducking beneath the awning. "I thought we were supposed to have surveillance on the institution's front doors. Someone should have seen him--"

"That's the thing," Tifa said worriedly. "The Soldier we set up to keep up the surveillance... The feed back to the security center here at HQ died. Static. Rude went to check it out, but he said it was like the Soldier and the equipment just... not disappeared. Well, the Soldier had, but the equipment was untouched. There's nothing wrong with any of the wiring or anything. It's just on the fritz."

He held back a curse. "I'm going to stop by the institution on the way back and ask."

"Vincent--"

"I know it might be breaking their rules, but we've done nothing but play by the rules, Tifa, and I don't think any of our enemies this time around have been quite so intent on playing fairly with us. I won't do much, just investigate, and then come by the building."

"I was just going to say, be careful. I wasn't going to tell you not to go."

"Heh, I think we're all on the defensive right now."

"We have a reason to be. Just check back in as soon as you're done, all right?"

"I'll call as soon as I leave. Keep a line open for me."

"Will do."

"Tifa, one last thing. The photographs?"

"We have them here with us in the room. After what happened to those tapes earlier, and now this..."

"No, it's perfectly fine. Just be careful." They traded farewells and then he shut the phone, put it away, and started walking to the institution.

He reached it and opened the door dripping wet; the nurse at the reception desk looked up at him with surprise, but answered his questions easily enough. Yes, a man named Zackary Donovan had come by. Yes, he had visited Strife briefly by Gren's permission. No, he wasn't still around. In fact, he had left some time ago. Then the nurse asked him how anyone could handle such a gigantic sword--yeah, he had had to leave it at the reception desk so she saw it, and when he left he just carried it as if it weren't anything at all.

"Is there any way I could see Strife?" he asked, and the woman shook her head.

"Visitation hours are gone, and Gren's the only doctor who can authorize a visitation and he's not available right now."

Thwarted, Vincent nodded and left. He took one long look at the window where the Soldier had been set up to keep an eye on the institution, then shook his head and pulled out his PHS. He was in the middle of dialing Tifa's number when his unit rang, and he stared in surprise at the number that appeared on the PHS's screen. It was Cloud's.

"The hell...?" He took the call, put it to his ear, started to say his name but Zack's quiet voice stopped him.

"Hey Vincent."

"Zack? What are you doing with--"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is Sephiroth."

"Did you find anything?"

"You could say that. Just not where you'd expect it." A beep, warning Vincent that there was another call, but Zack chuckled. "That oughta be the others right now."

His claw twitched. "Zack. What happened?"

"Do you have any idea where I'm standing right now?"

"Zack..."

"Look around." The line clicked off and immediately the PHS began ringing with the other call; it was from Tifa. He answered it and did look, and he did not have to look far. Up on the cliffs he could make out a glow, even in the rain, a climbing cloud of smoke rising into the air.

"Vincent!" Tifa's voice was tight with panic. "Who were you--look, the photographs, they just started going up in smoke and there's reports of monsters--"

"Where are they coming from?"

"Some are coming out from the tunnels but it's all from the north, I think from the sea--"

"Tifa, concentrate on getting the others out there and the civilians taken care of, I'm going up to Cloud's cabin."

"Cloud's--"

"It's Zack, Tifa. He's there, and I'm pretty sure that that's where they're coming from."

***

The rain had stopped and the air had grown even colder. The temperature plummeted so fast that he had to avoid the larger puddles of rain water because so many of them were turning to ice. This wasn't helping the troopers and Soldiers who were already out fighting, or the civilians trying to escape; he could hear officers shouting for the civilians to evacuate to the Shinra Building, but he could offer little help. He only knew that he had to get to the cabin.

So Vincent did what he could to avoid the mobs, taking sidestreets and taking quick shots at the monsters he did encounter, but where he could he left them to the troopers and Soldiers, knowing that so far the numbers were small enough that the Shinra's forces could handle them alone. Before long he was on his way to the path of the cliffs, and he had been right; the monsters were tearing down the path and from along the cliff walls, slithering out, flying out, or just crawling on all fours. He found it odd how few of them were concentrating on him; they seemed less concerned with individuals than causing mass chaos, which made him worry more than if they had all decided to go after him all at once.

He rushed up the path, and only skid to a halt when he noticed that the flow of creatures had stopped. He took a deep breath and advanced more slowly, wary of a trap, but then realized that there was a giant hole in the side of the cliffs, right beside the path, and the entrance to a cavern. It was huge, only a few steps in he could see that, and worse were the scattered clustered remains of eggs.

"Seems they've all hatched, but..." He shook himself, ducked back outside. There wasn't much farther to go.

Vincent ran up the last stretch of the path, reloading Death Penalty, only to watch as the former home of Cloud Strife collapsed. It rumbled and cracked before the timbers snapped and the flames flew up higher into the air, lighting the cloud of black smoke. In the cold winter air the fire seemed uncommonly bright, uncommonly hot... and then Vincent realized he wasn't alone.

Whirling, he raised the Death Penalty, bringing it to bear on Zack, standing at the cliff's edge with his hands in his leather coat's pockets, looking out at the water.

"Was wondering how long it would take you to get here, Vince," Zack said, just loud enough for Vincent to hear him over the blaze. "You're getting slow."

"Zack, what are you--?" He stopped himself, took a few steps closer, keeping his aim trained on Zack's legs.

Zack tilted his head back, looking up at the darkening sky. Snowflakes were beginning to drift down. "Sad that Cloud's not here. He likes snow."

"Zack, where did you take him?"

"Where he belongs."

"That's not the answer I--"

"Selfish, Vincent. Just like a Turk." Zack finally looked at him, silver eyes narrowed. "You want to know where the monsters keep coming from? They're humans. Like you."

"Zack--"

"Humans. Stuck in glass cages, pumped with chemicals and Mako... You think those monsters are the least human of all things, but the truth is, they're just like everyone else. They just wear their selfish, ugly natures on the outside for all to see. They want to spread their misery, they want to see others suffer." Zack put his hand back in his pocket, turned so that he faced Vincent, the smallest grin on his lips. "Funny, isn't it? Sephiroth was right all along."

Vincent shook his head. "That's where you've been, is it? I never would have thought you to be the sort to turn over so quickly--"

"No. But unlike the rest of you, I don't want Cloud to suffer alone anymore. So I went to find him. I finally found answers. I found Cloud, I found answers, and I discovered something important." Zack began to approach him. "You want to know where Cloud is? With Sephiroth. Where he should be. Where he wants to be."

"Unlike you," Vincent growled, "Cloud will fight. He won't just give in."

"Hasn't it ever occurred to you that maybe that's what he wants? If Avalanche hadn't been so selfishly caught up--if Avalanche hadn't decided to save him--that he needed to be saved in the first place--he would be happier. Even now. Away from all that hurts him. Away from everyone who wants to make all of his decisions for him, those who want to tell him what makes him happy, what makes him hurt, what makes him human. Away from Avalanche. Away from you."

Vincent raised his aim. "Cloud will have to forgive me then."

"He might," Zack spat. "But I don't." And before Vincent could pull the trigger Zack suddenly ran at him, wrenching the Death Penalty aside and twisting it out of Vincent's grip. As the weapon clattered to the ground Zack struck out with his fists, hitting Vincent's stomach, chest, before the other man could properly defend himself.

"Wake up, Zack!" Vincent staggered back, raising his head defiantly, feeling Chaos rousing beneath his skin. "This isn't you."

Zack landed a roundhouse kick that Vincent barely managed to block with his claw and still knocked him to the ground. The ex-Soldier glared down at him, hand reaching over his shoulder to draw the Buster Sword from his back. "Not my problem, is it?" he muttered, raising the blade over his head.

A shot rang out from nearby the cabin and the Buster Sword dropped from Zack's hands, the blade embedding itself in the rock nearby Vincent's head. Uncertain what just happened, Vincent took advantage of the pause and rolled away so he could get up on his feet; Zack was staring down at his left hand, at the blood falling to the rocks below. Zack glanced at the Death Penalty and then turned his gaze toward the cabin. When Vincent followed his gaze he could see Zack staring beyond the cabin, where Rufus was lowering a rifle and the Turks stood armed.

"Heh. Unexpected support." Zack returned his eyes to Vincent. "We'll finish this later." He picked up his sword with his uninjured hand, and Vincent stared in disbelief at the other, which had almost healed over completely already. Before the Turks could come closer, Zack leapt over the side of the cliff... and when Vincent looked after him, he saw no sign of him.


	16. Chapter 16

"We seem to have lost Donovan," Rufus muttered as Vincent stared at the crumbling remains of Cloud's cabin. "Did he say anything of use?"

"Enough for us to know for certain that Sephiroth has gotten to him," Vincent said. "As jealous as he could get, he would never act on it with violence. Certainly not of this magnitude, in any case." He could feel the familiar itching sensation of his body healing, and grimaced when he realized he would need a night of sleep to heal fully. "Dammit, I need materia."

"Do that and you'll risk it blowing up on you," Reno said. "A Soldier tried using some--there's not much of him left."

"Whatever the old Commander is up to," Rufus said, "it's made the Mako levels more volatile. There's a team of volunteers transporting the materia out of Junon, piece by piece, so half of Junon and all of the vaults don't go up if only one explodes."

"Is he attempting to become one with the Planet again?" Elena asked. "With the Mako levels so unstable..."

Vincent finally turned away from the fire. "We're wasting our time here. Let's go."

***

The room was connected to the chamber that held Pandora's Box and most of Gren's equipment. There was only a short hallway between them, with doors on each side that required authorization to open, of the kind that only one man could give. Zack had that authorization; it hummed in his veins, just as it hummed in Cloud's.

Cloud, in his arms, remained wound about Masamune. He regretted that he would have to take it from Cloud's grasp, but it would soon be back in the hands where it belonged. Cloud would understand.

Zack walked into the room to see Gren standing beside one of the two Mako chambers. He was injecting a vial of Zack's blood into the chamber's control panel; the chamber hummed, ready to fill up, to begin its work. He took Cloud towards the chambers, put him down the long, metal, bare table set up in front of them, and looked up to the wall of screens nearby. Most of the screens were operational; only a few showed static, and the majority of them revealed various sections of Junon, even inside the Shinra Building.

"Looks like they've finished rounding up the civilians," Zack observed.

Gren finished typing in his instructions at the control panel, put his hands in his pockets and walked to the table. "We're keeping their attentions attracted elsewhere. The monsters haven't yet attacked the Shinra Building, but if we don't move soon they'll begin to suspect something."

"We won't be keeping them long." He looked down at Cloud, grasped Masamune and gently pulled. Cloud's grip released and he unfolded, lying there on the table in the perfect imitation of sleep. In reality, he was dreaming. And although Zack knew it was all necessary, he felt guilty he was so glad that he wasn't the one with the dreams. He leaned down, stroked Cloud's hair, whispered in his ear, "It will be all right, Cloud-kun. It's almost time. It will be all right..." And, after leaning Masamune against the table, he began to strip Cloud down. It was ritualistic, though he couldn't resist running a hand along Cloud's skin from time to time, and finally he set the uniform aside and lifted Cloud in his arms. He waited for Gren to open the first chamber, set Cloud inside, leaned him against the glass. Gren closed the chamber and a green mist began to fill it, then the liquid Mako itself began to seep in from the grate on the chamber's floor.

"I injected the catalyst straight into the Mako supply," Gren said. "It will take effect soon."

"He'll be all right?"

"The process won't damage him."

"But will it hurt him?"

Gren shrugged. "I had your original body. We're building Sephiroth's from scratch, in a sense. This is the first time the process has been done, so there's no telling what direct result it will have on your fellow specimen. I do not think Sephiroth will let him remember how much it hurts him, however, when it's over. Now..." He looked beyond the other Mako chamber, where two men in First Class uniforms stood, their visors down over their eyes. "I invited that young man from across the street to join you in your little mission. There's a spare First Class uniform beside them. That should get you through the front doors."

"Kurai?"

"Will remain here, just in case."

He nodded, got out of his civilian clothes, pulled on the First Class uniform. He pulled his hair back, settled the helm on his head, snapped the visor down. "Jennison? Gales?"

The two men nodded.

"Take point. You two will distract them while I head for the target." He turned his head. "And Gren?"

The professor stood with his hands in his labcoat pockets, watching him with amusement. "Yes?"

"If anything happens to Cloud, I will kill you. Your function's just about over. The Jenova cells in your body are obsolete. There's no room left for you. Remember that." Without even a look over his shoulder, Zack left, followed by the two Soldiers.

***

Cloud walked along the path. The sharp stone cut into his bare feet, so he trailed blood after him. The heat from Nibelheim rose even up the black slopes of the Nibel Mountains, and his blood hissed on the rocks, the way it had on Masamune's blade. He stumbled, from time to time, but he kept pressing onward, groped his way when it became too dark with smoke, and clambered through the caverns that glowed green with Mako.

Outside it was nothing but heat. Inside the caves it was freezing, and ice slickened the walls and floor and shone with Mako. It felt too much like the crater. It frightened him.

Still, he had to get to the reactor. That was it, that was the boundary. It was what all those old tales had meant, to go beyond the mountains. To go beyond, one first had to find the boundary, and it was there.

When he reached the reactor, naked and frail, sixteen all over again, he stood for a moment outside just looking up at it. It was massive, looming, and cast a freezing shadow even in this darkness, drowning out the heat with cold. It was like Meteor, only worse, and he clasped his arms as he climbed up the steps and went inside.

The Mako reactor was filled with the pulsing of a heart. Its walls were dark and wet and glistened, and the wetness came off on his fingers red. It smelt like metal and the sweetness of Mako, and as he climbed down to the catwalk he had to fight down the urge to give up, curl up in the corner and wait for the nightmare to come find him, strangle him there, toss him over the edge.

Because the space beneath the catwalk was dark. There was no frothing green pit. He feared what was beneath it, could hear voices whispering his name, calling out for him. As he walked across, too afraid to grip the rails because that would only bring him that much closer to the edge, he tried to ignore the too-young, too-scarred arms that reached for him, held onto the railings for dear life, voices like his own crying. He cried, too, and passed into the next room.

It was different from the last time. The Mako chambers here were not the egg-like capsules but more like the hated chambers from beneath Nibelheim, and the Mako they held was red, dark red, maybe it was blood after all, and in each one a face of someone--Tifa, there, from where he had stabbed her, Aerith in the one beside her, dress turning red, and more, more, he struggled to climb up the steps and he stopped at the last, stared at the final two chambers flanking either side of the door leading into the reactor's core. In one floated his mother, who he knew even though her skin was charred and her hair, her dress blackened where it remained; in the other was a body he only knew because Sephiroth knew it, his own, young, with a gaping hole in his chest and his hands and fingers gashed open to the bone--and he couldn't stare anymore. He pressed on, took the final few steps into the core.

It was different, in here. The voices were gone. There was only the calm, comforting cool blue glow from the one chamber, and in it, as serene as he had been in the materia cocoon three years ago, was Sephiroth. Perfect. Unscarred.

Cloud swallowed back tears, gulped down the chill air and ran to the chamber, pressing his hands against it, staring up at Sephiroth's face. There was warmth inside. There was warmth, warmth for him, and he bit his lower lip, watching as those green eyes opened, just enough to look down at him.

"I've been waiting." Sephiroth's mouth did not move, but Cloud heard his voice all the same, would always be able to hear it. "How good of you to keep me in your heart all this time, ningyou..." Sephiroth's lips curled in a slight smile, and Cloud felt himself returning it with his own awkward smile, still so good to hear Sephiroth call him by that pet name again, calling him his puppet, his doll, it was familiar, it was something he knew. "All you have to do is let me out. That's all you have to do now."

"That's... all...?" Cloud whispered.

"That's all, ningyou. Nothing else."

He looked down at the control panel for the chamber, and stared at the release switch. He held his breath, pushed it down, and waited.

***

The conference room was busy. People were constantly coming and going, and Reeve sat at the head going through reports while Rufus answered more practical matters of military attack with General Wolff, who had a direct line to all of the Soldiers's helmets so he could send commands directly to the groups. Every monitor in the room displayed a map of Junon that displayed where the fighting was going on, where a group of civilians were trapped, the changing positions of Soldiers and troopers as they tried to hold off monsters.

Barret entered the room in a huff, wiping water from his gunarm. "Shit, man, how'd the temperature drop so goddamned fast?"

"Still snowing, is it?" Rufus muttered.

"And it's coming down harder than before, messing up the troopers' fucking visibility," Barret grumbled, sitting down in a chair beside Tifa. "They ain't trained for this shit."

"Who the hell is?" Cid said. "What happened?"

"Took two squadrons of Second Class Soldiers, but we managed to get that tunneling monster taken down."

"At least we found out how the monsters were moving so quickly throughout the city," Rufus said, still distracted by what he saw on the map. "Let's just hope there was only one of them."

The door opened but they didn't see anyone immediately come through, until Nanaki reared up and rested his forepaws against the table.

"Doctor Melantha and I discovered a slight problem," Nanaki said, his red eye narrowed. His mane bristled. "Cloud's medicine. We were curious. So we thought we'd take a closer look at it."

Tifa looked up at him sharply, her attention diverted from the map. "His medicine?"

"It's not oasis. It's worse. We need to get into the mental institution, and we need to go now."

Tifa scraped her chair back, but Rufus shook his head. "You won't get through even with ten squads of First Classes," he said. "There's a barrier of monsters blocking off that entire section of the city, and the train tunnels don't move too close, so you can't sneak in using their own backways unless you want to risk running into more of their forces."

Reeve spoke up. "Nanaki, what is Melantha doing now?"

"She's been studying various blood samples, from the Soldiers, from the old information of Sephiroth's cellular data, Jenova... and Zack." Red shook his head. "She said his sample confused all of her tests before, but now..." He looked pointedly at Rufus. "She said she was glad that Cloud's blood sample had been destroyed."

"Why?" Rufus asked.

"There are certain chemicals mixed with the Mako in Zack's blood that recently became active," Red murmured. "She said that, if they came into contact with Cloud, they'd act as a sort of catalyst."

"A catalyst? With what?"

Rufus lowered his eyes back to the map. "There's a strain of Sephiroth's cells in Cloud's body. Like the Jenova virus, only more advanced."

"Why the hell didn't anyone tell us this before?" Cid shouted, as all of the Avalanchers stood up.

"Because at the time we didn't know enough, and if you had known it, you would have shipped him off to the institution faster," Rufus said, meeting their glares with his own. "I was willing to prolong that revelation for as long as I could, until we knew what we were dealing with. Now we've sent him to meet Sephiroth, and because we didn't have enough information, we handed them everything they needed to make your nightmare a reality." He looked at Wolff. "Take over for me."

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Barret snapped. "We can handle it by ourselves--"

"No one's leaving just yet," Reeve said, raising his voice. Everyone stopped, stared at him. "Red, what's Melantha doing now?"

"She's working on a type of antibody that might stop, or even reverse, the change that's come over Zack," Red said quickly. "She's using the sample of the evening sun to work on it; with any luck she ought to have something soon."

"I think it's safe to say that even if we manage to get to the mental institution," Reeve said, "we're more than likely to encounter Zack again. And after seeing what he did to Vincent--unarmed--I don't think we want to charge in there without some sort of secret weapon."

A burst of static erupted from Wolff's Soldier line, and the general abruptly cursed. "What?! They're advancing on the building?"

"Patch it through to the rest of us," Rufus ordered, and General Wolff set his PHS unit into a port on the desk. Immediately they all heard static, panicked screams, and a young man's voice trying to speak over it.

"Wolff, sir, we've just come back from a recon from the southern side of the city, and they're coming fast behind us."

"Who is this?" Rufus ordered.

"Gales, sir, First Class."

Tifa's eyes widened and she looked up at Wolff. "But he was the Soldier we had watching the institution--"

Rufus entered a command at the nearest monitor. "They're in the first floor lobby. They're attacking the civilians."

"The monsters?"

Another voice broke in on the line, "Sir! This is--the three First Classes who just came in from recon, they aren't--" It broke off into curses, and Wolff took the PHS off the port and immediately began calling the Soldiers still in the building to move to the first floor lobby. The lights dimmed red, and Wolff looked up to them.

"Two of them are in the lobby, they're attacking the Soldiers and the civilians, but one of them broke off and is making his way to one of the emergency stairwells."

"It's Zack," Tifa murmured. She took off toward the door, "Nanaki, c'mon!"

"Girl, where the hell you think you're going?" Barret yelled after her, but to his surprise Rufus was the next one out the door after the fire lion. Cid and Barret followed them out, and Reeve typed in several commands into his console.

"Wolff, I'm calling in all of the Avalanchers, could you get as many of the troops out from the docks and back to the building?"

Wolff nodded. "We need someone down at the lobby, send someone down there now. The two Soldiers--they've started changing."

***

Vincent fired off and took down the last monster that was chasing after a group of troopers escorting more civilians to the Shinra Building when his PHS began to ring. He cursed, turned to the doors of the Shinra Building's main lobby when suddenly a trooper was hurled out, smashing through the glass doors. He looked up, only to see the civilians and troopers in the lobby scattering, because two Soldiers were attacking the others, and the way they moved--

"Dammit," he growled, and yelled behind him for the troopers to take the civilians into the building through another entrance and to avoid the lobby. They veered off down one of the side alleys while he charged into the lobby, firing at one of the Soldiers and hitting him straight on the helmet. The Soldier fell back and his helmet fell off, but he began to stand on his own. Vincent found him strangely familiar, then said, "Wait a minute... You're the one that went missing after Cloud..."

The Soldier looked up at him with glowing dark blue eyes, narrowing, before lunging at him. In the middle of his lunge he transformed into a small dragon, almost instantaneously, clothes shredding and body growing, until the head stretched out on a long neck and opened a mouth lined with fangs. Vincent ran to the side as the dragon's jaws snapped shut over where he had been standing, before turning and glaring at him, black scales shimmering with heat. Across the other side of the lobby the other Soldier had undergone a similar transformation, lashing a tail and throwing five Third Classes against one of the walls.

"Vincent!" It was Barret's voice, and he glanced to watch as the big black man barreled his way into the lobby. "Did you see Zack?!"

"Zack? He's here?"

"He came in with these two, Tifa and Red and that goddamned Shinra went off to Melantha's lab--they think that's where he's headed." Barret shifted closer, but the dragon on the other side was watching him. "Shit, man, where're those Turks?"

Cid came in from behind him, skid to a halt when he saw the wreckage, and then lowered his spear. "Stop yappin', and move!" He shoved Barret out of the way as the dragon opened its mouth and breathed a wide beam of cold air, coating the floor and walls it touched in ice.

Vincent sidestepped a swipe of the claw and fired at the dragon, but it didn't flinch at his bullet. Instead, it turned and began running for the other, leapt onto its back and their flesh seemed to sink into one another, the bodies melding and suddenly growing out until there was one dragon, two heads, three times the size of either one before.

"Fire in the hole!"

The shout came from behind and Vincent automatically ducked, heard Barret and Cid curse at the same time as they jumped behind the remains of one of the lobby's couches, as a grenade hit the ground beside the dragon, rolled to a stop beside it. The dragon looked down at it and raised one claw to step on it, but the grenade went off with a massive explosion.

"I always wanted to do that," said Reno, reaching down and helping Vincent back up with an arm. Rude and Elena ran out ahead, and the red-headed Turk turned to Barret and Cid, raising up his nightstick with a whoop as the smoke cleared. "Can't believe you all were gonna start the party without us! Let's go!"

***

Zack kicked down the door into the emergency staircase and stepped in, looked up, grinned when he saw the troopers aiming their weapons down at him. "Bad move, boys."

They opened fire, but it was already too late. He threw up his hand and the materia on a bangle shone, and immediately the entire stairwell frosted over, the troopers froze into blocks of ice. He waited a moment for the initial effects of the freeze spell to die down; once water began to drip down he started climbing up the stairs, hurrying before the troopers could unfreeze. He thought about smashing them but they were defenseless and besides, it would take too much time.

He climbed quickly, taking more than one step at a time, until he stopped outside a door that had "B BLOCK" stenciled in red letters beside it. He opened it and came out with his sword up, only to see a squad of First Class Soldiers standing in the lobby, between him and the doors leading into the science department.

"Donovan, sir," one of the men said, stepping forward with his broadsword raised in a defensive position, "we'll only ask once. Surrender."

"In less than an hour you'll be obeying the old Commander again," Zack grinned. "Just let me through. After all, you've heard about Gales and Jennison, right?"

"Sir--"

"I can't waste time to play with you yet." Zack charged into them with the Buster Sword raised; the Soldiers scattered so they could all have room, but he countered three swipes that would have taken off his head or an arm, ducked down and a low rumble spread through the room. The Soldiers had no problem balancing, but before they could move in on him spikes of earth, metal, and cable shoved up through the floor on either side. He took off running while the spikes shot up on either side of him and behind him, saw some troopers up ahead staring at him nervously as he charged forward. The spell died around him as he speared the first trooper through on the Buster Sword's point; he whirled the blade around and threw the corpse on top of another row. The other troops pressed themselves to the walls as he ran past, and he could see the door coming up again. He stopped, looked behind him at the oncoming rush of Soldiers, and used another freeze spell to throw up a block of ice. They began to chop at it with their swords; it wouldn't take long for them to break it down.

It wouldn't take long for him to finish his mission, either. He kicked open the door only to curse when he saw Rufus waiting with a rifle pointed at his head. The rifle fired, and not even Zack had time to move, not at that close range; the bullet hit the visor of his helm and he fell back. Instantly he shoved off the helmet and rolled to the side as another shot hit the spot where he had fallen, and he came to the edge of the doorway.

"Show your head and I'll blow it off," Rufus said, his voice calm, from beyond the doorway. "The others might go easy on you because of who you are, but I have no qualms." He could hear the small smirk in Rufus's voice as he added, "Besides, it just means less competition later."

"I have a contain materia and the assurance that it won't backfire on me," Zack said. "Let me through or else I'll petrify you, and then smash you. Hell, if I have time afterwords, I might dance on the remains."

"That sure of yourself, are you?"

"It's already started. You can't stop it."

"Then why are you here, hmm?"

Zack swung around with his blade held up, presenting the flat. The bullet rang off the blade, and the next one after that, until Rufus cursed and Zack was close enough to ram his knee into Rufus's middle. The copresident gagged, and Zack lifted him up with one hand, tossed him across Melantha's office into one of the bookcases. He picked up Rufus's rifle and slammed it against Melantha's desk, snapping it in two, and then grinned down at him.

"Bastard," he said, nudging Rufus with a toe to make certain that the copresident was out. Then he turned to the door leading to Melantha's special lab and used the Buster Sword to break through the locking mechanisms. All it took then was one good kick, and the door screeched down to the floor. He stepped in, looked for Melantha, but his eyes focused immediately on the fire lion that was leaping towards him. He dropped the Buster Sword and held up his hands, letting Nanaki's weight carry them both back, to the floor, and the moment his back hit the ground he continued rolling, using the momentum to throw Nanaki over him. He heard a crash as the fire lion slammed into the cabinets on the other side of the lab, and the moment he stood up he had to sidestep a quick hook. He turned his glare to Tifa, saw Melantha over her shoulder staring in the farthest corner of the lab, her eyes wide.

"All of you are starting to be damnably annoying," he said, quickly moving back some steps to put some distance between them. He thought he could hear Nanaki struggling to get back to his feet.

"What do you expect us to do?" Tifa said, her red eyes looking straight into his steel-grey, and all he could feel in her was determination. "Cloud would want us to fight."

"You told me yourself, Tifa," Zack said. "You told me you didn't pretend to understand him anymore. Then why don't you just let him go?"

"He's all I have left of home," she said, and the honesty gave him pause before he went into his offensive stance and she rocked forward, putting all of her strength into her right fist. He blocked with his left, moved forward with his right, grinned as she feinted and kicked, metal-toed boot rising straight up into the air. He caught her by the ankle, turned and flung her to one of the metal examination tables. She crashed on top of it, but astoundingly she began to push herself back up. She automatically raised an arm to block what she mistook to be a punch as he sprinted to the tableside, but instead he grabbed her arm in one hand and pulled her off the table. He tightened his grip so she screamed, then shoved her roughly away, his eyes going back to Dr. Melantha.

"Doctor," he said, reaching down and lifting the Buster Sword from the floor. "Let me make this quick for you, hm? Less pain." Melantha shook her head, pressed herself back against the corner as he quickly crossed the room. He snatched her arm, twisted it behind her back and shoved her into the corner. He raised his sword, but the quick sound of approaching steps from behind caused him to turn, annoyance flashing in his eyes. He squeezed Melantha's arm so tight as he swung back around that he could feel the bones in her arm snap, and she screamed as he shoved her at Tifa. Tifa caught the other woman, braced her, set her down as Nanaki staggered towards them. Then Tifa raised her eyes to Zack, tightened her glove, and although there were bruises rising across her fair skin she looked at him no less determinedly.

"Nanaki," she said, standing up, "take care of Doctor Melantha."

"But Tifa--"

"Just do it!" And she screamed, ran at Zack while he still stood in the corner.

***

Although Reno's grenade had managed to take out one of the dragon's forearms, it seemed as though the gigantic creature would never go down. The lobby had been razed on both levels; troopers had come in to lend fire support but they couldn't do much at risk of hitting Avalanche or the Turks, and Vincent shouted at them to pull back, they were just targets. To make it worse, some of the monsters from outside had started to come in through the broken front doors.

The dragon's blue-eyed head lowered itself to roar, unleathing another torch of fire at Vincent, but he ran along its side until it stopped. The other head was far more concerned with attempting to snap at the Turks and the others. Grimacing, Vincent slung the Death Penalty over his back and leapt up against the dragon's flank, using his claw to dig into the hard black scales. Both heads screeched at the sudden pain, and the blue-eyed head whipped about, lowered to try to snap at him. He didn't want to give it the time to do it, and scrambled up until he had gained a precarious balance on its back. He waited for the head to open its jaws and move toward him to strike; he whirled his gun around and fired straight into its mouth, two, three, four times.

The one head began to thrash violently, slammed into the other head, before erupting entirely in flames. Barret opened fire onto the uninjured head while it was preoccupied, and Rude shouted Vincent's name as Elena tossed something up to him. He blinked when he caught it, realized that the small black object was actually a bomb, and hooked his claw into the dragon's flesh. It was in throes, now, thrashing, but he rent the scales open and drove the bomb in as far as he could, before pushing himself off the giant creature and running for one of the hallways. The others were already running; he saw Rude remove a detonator from his blazer and press the activation button.

The explosion shook the lobby; there were black smoke and the acrid smell of burning flesh. Vincent stared out and watched as the tail raised one last time to thrash out, but the dragon fell onto its side with a crash, and lay still.

"Set up a defense and try to hold back the monsters!" he shouted. "I'm going up after Zack!"

"We hear ya, just get your ass in gear and move!" Cid called from across the lobby, running out with Barret to take on the monsters that were barreling aside the dead and dying from the explosion.

Leaving them and the Turks to that, Vincent headed for the closest emergency stairwell, found one that had already been busted in. He saw that some monsters had already made it this far, raised his shotgun and fired at one that leapt at him from the remains of a trooper's corpse, and began up the stairs.

***

The corner didn't give him room to swing the Buster Sword, so he dropped it and ran to take on Tifa directly. She caught him first, this time around, her fist connecting to his chest first, her knee following through to his side, before she ducked down low in a sweep to knock him off his feet. He fell, but on his way back up swept his feet; she jumped back and reversed her momentum, dug in her feet to spring at him again. This time he was ready, caught her by the arms and swung her into the nearby cabinets. Before he could follow through, she spun around--there was something clenched tight in her hand, and she jabbed it into his shoulder before his fist caught her in the stomach. Tifa's face squeezed tight and the pain caused her to gasp, but Zack found he couldn't follow through. His eyes widened and he choked, released her and clawed at the syringe she had lodged into his shoulder.

She staggered back, both hands over her stomach, watching him as he fell to his knees, grabbed at his head. His entire body shook and he screamed, something incoherent, something inhuman twisting his voice before he fell over and curled up. She spared a glance over her shoulder, heard the barrier outside shattering, heard a Soldier's voice shouting for a medic, saw Vincent come running in, leading the Soldiers. They saw them, and Vincent called over his shoulder for an entire medical team, stat, before approaching them and looking down at Zack.

"What...?" he started to ask.

Melantha cried out as one of the Soldiers helped her to sit up; she cradled her broken arm and appeared more shaken than anyone else. "I... the sample of the antibodies... She used them."

"It was the only thing I could do," Tifa whispered, and Vincent caught her before she fell, supporting her. "He was so strong..."

"Well, we'll know soon enough if the antibodies are working," Nanaki said, settling down on his haunches, then giving up and laying completely on the cool floor. "Vincent, downstairs...?"

"I don't know what's going on with the rest of the building." He looked up as Rufus limped into the room, motioning one of the Soldiers to leave him alone. "But we can't take another attack like this."

"He's stopped...?" Rufus asked, and saw Zack in the corner of the room, nodded. "Good. We need to get in touch with Reeve... figure out what else is going on..."

***

It took another hour before the rest of the building was clear of monsters, and some ground was gained outside of the building. A barricade was set up and, once all of their forces had returned from the rest of the cities, shifts were arranged so the troops would cycle through, get some rest in. It wasn't much rest; the attacks had taken their toll on all the forces, and when Yuffie came back with the last group from the docks she had appeared in a daze, and had spent a good thirty minutes speaking to her father with her PHS unit.

It was another three hours before anyone had had enough rest and medical attention to even attempt a meeting to discuss what to do next, and another hour before everyone could be gathered in the conference room.

Wolff stood; the old general of SOLDIER had his own recently acquired bandage from where one monster had managed to make it to the conference room.

"The docks are entirely lost to us right now," he said, and the most recent version of the Junon map appeared on their monitors. "However, since none of the monsters have appeared to have aerial capabilities--though there's no telling how long we have before those begin to appear--I've had the helicopters keeping up surveillance. Their heaviest concentration appears to be at the docks and then, on the southernmost side of Junon..."

"Right around the mental institution," Cid observed.

Wolff nodded. "The good news is that, although they have been attacking our barricade every so often, they haven't been able to keep up the intensity of the earlier attack. Instead, there appears to be patrols of the monsters, in the tunnel systems, on the streets. The rest are regrouping, or awaiting the next move... We can't be certain."

"I think it's safe to say that they didn't expect us to keep the Shinra Building," Rufus muttered. "That last attack was meant to destroy us. This has been a hard loss for them."

"Meaning it's probably best to strike now," Wolff suggested, looking at them all. "Kisaragi-hime, has your father any good news from Wutai?"

"Whatever happens here seems to be mirroring what's going on back at home," she said, staring down at the monitor. "Everyone's holed up in the capitol... But, when we won this last battle, the attacks died down... They're managing now, but barely. Worse, they've been using a lot of fire, and if they--" She broke off, shook her head and looked up at the others. "They've got some materia at home, but if Wutai itself catches fire, then there will be no way to stop it at all. The main palace might survive, some of it, but..."

"Calm down, Yuffie," Vincent said. "There's one force that's driving all of them. If we take it out, then Wutai will be safe." He looked to Melantha. "Is that correct?"

Melantha, her arm in a sling, her face still pale, nodded. "From what we can tell. It's a repeat of what Jenova must have done to the Cetra two thousand years ago, only worse. And, though it looks like the antibodies have worked on Zack..." She shook her head. "There's no way to spread them through to everything that's been infected, and there's no way to tell if they can revert the transformational effects of this new virus. Zack was still, for the most part, human. Everything else..."

Reeve looked to Wolff. "How about surveillance on the mental institution?"

He reached down, pressed a button, and a new image appeared on their monitors. The building was overgrown with black, pulsating material, branching out from the broken windows, sprawling up the cliffside above it, towards the upper levels of Junon.

"This... growth has happened so suddenly... There's no way of telling just what it is. It appears to be biomechanical, not dissimilar to the Weapons from three years ago."

Reeve sighed, rubbed at his temple. "Right, then. And Zack?"

"His body's still in the process of stabilizing," Melantha said. "It will be another two hours at least before he should be woken up, and even then, there's no telling just how tired he's going to be."

"We're all going to need some time to rest," Barret broke in. "If we tried to move in now, there's no way we'd make it to the damned doors..."

"I think we'd know it if Sephiroth was back already." Everyone looked to Tifa, who clasped a hand over her arm. "We have some time. I think we should rest. In the morning, we'll get ready." She raised her eyes from the monitor. "Zack will be able to tell us something. We can use his information, plan an attack. Get into the institution, find Cloud, maybe even stop Sephiroth from returning."

"How do we know that Cloud won't be in the same state as Donovan?" Rufus asked, arms crossed. "If Zack was so strong, and he didn't even have Sephiroth's cells directly in his body..."

"I don't think that's the case," Melantha said. "From what I've been able to determine, Cloud's presence is physically needed for... for Sephiroth's regeneration. We've seen just what the reversion has done to Zack... for Cloud's body, which is supplying almost everything for the regeneration of Sephiroth's own... he'd be too weak to do anything. At least for a time, even after the process is complete."

"But we don't know for sure," Vincent said, and she leaned back in her chair with a shake of her head. "Right. Well, there's no way of knowing. Let's get some rest, and meet back here tomorrow morning at 0500. We'll make up our attack plan and final preparations then." He stood up. "And then, we'll see this finished. One way or another."

***

The burning had stopped. There was no longer the white-burn pressing against his eyes. There was no longer the hurting green that clawed into his head. There was no longer the red light that had burrowed deep inside of him, hidden and safe. There was warmth, however, instead of cold, instead of blazing heat. There was a heartbeat, and he felt his head cradled close to the chest within which that heart pulsed. He knew that heartbeat. He knew, when he raised his hand, that it would entangle in long silver strands.

He opened his eyes, forced them open, so he could see pleased green eyes looking down at him, set in a pale face, and yes, the silver hair fell all around them.

"Sephiroth...?"

And he knew that smile, and he knew what it meant.


	17. Chapter 17

Zack opened his eyes, and immediately shut them. The light wasn't that bright, but even just the touch of it against his eyelids brought out a headache that split his skull. He thought it wouldn't take much more than a tap of a finger to make it crumble, but as he raised a hand to his head he realized that it didn't. It wasn't much of a relief or a comfort.

"Might be better to be braindead," he muttered, and the sound of his own voice made him wince.

"Sorry, old buddy, but can't let you be braindead until you tell us a few things."

He turned his head to the side, cracked open his eyes. He couldn't make out much but a blur, but he'd know that drawl anywhere. "Reno?"

"Yeah. It's me. Good to know that you're not gonna jump outta your bed and try to eat me." The blur moved, and he could hear the snip of a lighter, could smell the first cloud of smoke as Reno breathed out.

"Are those allowed... wherever here is?"

"Think I give a damn? Anyway. How are you?"

"I feel like shit."

"You look like shit. How much do you remember?"

"Bits and pieces. I know..." His brow furrowed. "I know... I kinda remember where..."

"Good. That's all we need to know."

"What?"

"You've got another hour to rest, Zack. Then, it's up and at 'em. We figure we have the rest of today before we get attacked again, and if we wait that long..." The blur moved again, and Zack made out the movement as a shrug. "Then I guess it's the big long sayonara."

Zack closed his eyes. "Turn out the light. It hurts."

"Funny. Getting Sephiroth wiped out of you leaves you with a hangover, huh? Makes me glad I'll never have to worry about that."

"Shut up and turn out the goddamn lights, Reno."

***

The courtyard at the very top of the Shinra Building was covered with snow. Tifa stood beneath her favorite tree, watching as the snow fell. She didn't turn her head when the door opened, but held out her hand. The hand that met hers was covered with cut-off gloves, and she closed her eyes, smiled.

"There you are, Vincent."

"Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head. "Could any of us?"

"Barret's snores have been loud enough to frighten some of the civilians into thinking there's another attack."

It was given in that same tone of voice as usual, and it was that deadpan that made her smile. She turned her head, looked at him, saw him in his old outfit, the one with the crimson cape and the mantle that hid his face, though his breath, like hers, steamed in the air. "I'm sure he misses you," she said sincerely, and Vincent tilted his head back, looked up through the barren branches up at the sky.

"He misses nothing right now. He is at the mercy of the one thing he has wanted his entire life. We are going to be cruel to him, taking it away from him when he finally has it, at last."

"Do you really think Sephiroth made him happy?" she asked, and Vincent gazed at her.

"His bonds to Sephiroth are far stronger than mine to Lucrecia ever were. I think that speaks more strongly than anything else."

Tifa nodded, shrugged deeper into her coat, withdrew her hand from his and put it deep into her coat's pockets. "But he'll have you, and Zack, when this is done. He'll have someone to help him, this time."

"Tifa..." He raised his human hand, brushed it along her cheek. "He had you. He had you to help him one time when he needed someone the most. And I am sure he still loves you, like he loved her."

The sob was a quiet one, and she leaned against the older man, buried her face against his shirt. He raised his arms around her, gave her something, someone to hold on to.

***

Melantha stepped out from her lab and into her office, only to be startled when she saw Elena standing across the room. She stared for a few seconds, then took off her glasses, tucked them into her sling, and rubbed at her eyes.

"I wish you and the other Turks wouldn't do that."

Elena grinned. "Sorry. But, I was told to keep an eye on you tonight, at least until you got to bed."

"Ah... I'm sorry, then." Melantha's smile held little humor. "I kept you up all this time. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd work."

"It's all right. It's amazing what a jolt of hyper can do. And this is nothing compared to some of the all nighters we've had to pull before."

"Mm." She eased herself down into her chair, looked forlornly at the mess on her desk, at the cracks and splinters in the wood where Zack had broken Rufus's rifle. "You can go if you like. I'm going to stay here."

"Here?"

"I feel safer here, with all of my work," Melantha said. "Could you do me a favor?"

Elena nodded, pushed away from the broken bookshelves, her confusion plain on her face. That expression deepened when Melantha held up a vial, filled with several small capsules. "What...?"

"A kind of vaccine. I think everyone who's going out on the mission will need one, just in case." She closed her eyes as Elena took the vial, leaned back in her chair. "Make sure Tifa gets one...?"

"Tifa?"

"Yes. I worry about her."

Elena nodded. "Right, then. I'll tell the Soldiers outside that you're staying here, and not to bother you." She hesitated at the door, though, looked back at the doctor. "You worry about her, huh? Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you..."

***

A knock on the door and Zack woke up, sat up, heard Reno shifting in the chair. The door opened, and even if Zack couldn't make out the silhouette, he could see the crimson eyes that moved immediately to him.

"It's time," Vincent said. "Meet in the conference room as soon as you can."

"There'd better be some coffee in there," Reno called out after Vincent, but the other man was already gone. Zack grimaced as he shoved aside the blankets and stood, had a First Class uniform tossed to him. He caught it, quickly began to change. "We've got your Buster Sword and harness up at the conference room. Didn't want them to be in easy reach if Melantha's little medicine didn't work. And the bangle with all the materia's been put in the vault."

Zack nodded, pulled on the boots. "I doubt Sephiroth'd let me run around with powerful materia anymore."

"That's what we thought, too. Now let's go."

The last time Zack could remember feeling so wasted was after the last charge at Wutai--no, that wasn't right. Those first few steps free of the Mako chambers beneath Nibelheim...

"Gods," he muttered as he followed Reno through the dark hallways, "I didn't think I'd have to know hell again."

"Not in hell yet, buddy," Reno said over his shoulder, and they had to pass through a squad of Soldiers standing guard right outside the conference room. Zack couldn't bring himself to meet their eyes, but as he started in to the conference room he felt one gloved hand touch his shoulder, the kind of encouragement he missed from his days in the old force. He didn't have any way to acknowledge the gesture, but he sat down in one of the empty seats remaining around the table. He looked with some confusion at the space in front of him; a young woman set down a mug of coffee and a glass of water.

"Hey, Zack." It was Tifa, on his right. Her hand reached discreetly for his own under the table. "It's all right. Be strong for us, okay? For him."

"I think that's everyone," Reeve said from the head of the table. "Let's get started. First off, most of you should have been given a small blue capsule. Those who are going into the mental institution get priority for the pills; Melantha was only able to create a small number of them. Elena said she called them a type of vaccine. Zack, you shouldn't need one because you had that shot of the antibodies." Zack nodded, and only looked away again when Reeve asked, "Is there anything you can tell us? About Sephiroth?"

"It had already started before I left," he said. "Sephiroth might not be back yet. I don't know. But the regeneration process for his body had started before I left. I think I'd know, but the... antibodies? Whatever it was Tifa gave me, it must have wiped out my link with him because I can't tell." He shook his head, began sipping from the glass of water. "He wants... He's very set. He knows what he wants, and he's going to get rid of everything that might get in the way."

"Well, what the hell does he want?" Barret grumbled. "You're telling us he's not trying to become some god again?"

"No. I mean, I don't think the thought hasn't crossed his mind again, but..." He looked up at them, rested his eyes on Vincent, who sat alongside the rest of the Turks and Rufus. "The end justifies the means. He'll only do it to get what he wants, and in any case, I don't think that's what he's planning on doing immediately."

Though much of Vincent's face was hidden by his mantle, Zack knew the expression he would see, Vincent's mouth tightened into a thin line. "He wants Cloud completely," Vincent said simply. Zack nodded, and Vincent looked to Reeve. "We need to hurry. As far as he's concerned, we're unwelcome intrusions."

Reeve, however, looked to General Wolff, who said, "We'll split up. One team is going to charge the institution with half of the remaining forces of SOLDIER, with some aerial firecover. I doubt it's possible to actually get into the institution from below, so the other team will drop onto the roof while the ground team is providing a diversion. The roof access doors still appear to be open, if guarded."

"So you think the ground team's going to be suicidal, huh?" Reno asked bluntly, scratching his chin.

Wolff shook his head. "I don't know. There's been no way to determine if the biomechanical material--"

"Pandora's Box," Zack said, and everyone stopped to look at him. "All of that. It's coming from the Box." He pointed to the monitor. "If the ground team moves in to the main entrance, they'll find it blocked. But there's a side entrance in the alley to the side that Gren has kept open. He has to, otherwise they'd have to rely completely on their tunnel system to get in and out of the building, and he's not that impractical. So I'd say neither team is going to be a diversion. We'll need both teams to try to punch their way through. If we can all meet at the main lobby, I can lead everyone down to where Pandora's Box is kept. That's where we'll find Kurai and Gren, and beyond that, Cloud."

"And possibly Sephiroth," Rufus murmured. "Right. Turks?"

"Sir?" all of them said at once.

"We'll take the air." He grinned at Avalanche. "Don't die on us."

"I'll go with the air team as well," Vincent said softly. "The rest should make up the ground team; we'll need more on the ground."

Zack nodded. "The upper levels of the institution ought to be pretty empty. There's not much up there, only more cells... so I imagine there will be plenty of monsters, but it's doubtful Kurai or Gren or anything will be lurking up there. And that way, if we cleave our way through from both directions, there'll be fewer monsters coming in after us while we're trying to deal with our main target."

Reeve looked at his watch. "Everyone has an hour to prepare. The ground team will meet outside, the air team will meet at the airport. Cid, make sure the helicopters are prepped and ready just in case any monsters with wings suddenly crop up." He paused, and Cid crossed his arms.

"Yeah, someone needs to direct the aerial attacks." He cursed, chewed on his unlit cigarette. "Dammit, if I don't stay up in the air, one of the idiots'll accidentally bomb our own men." The captain glared at the rest of the conference room. "You all had better kick the shit outta them all. I'll have one of the copters drop me off to meet up with you as soon as we've cleared out enough of the monsters."

"I'm going to distribute some earpieces to both teams," Wolff said. "They're modified versions of what the Soldiers have in their helmets; it will be easier for both teams to keep track of one another, and gods know it will be more effective than using the PHS units."

"Always good to keep a hand free," Barret said with a nod.

"Right. If everyone's ready, then, let's go. We want to start the attack before dawn." Reeve held up his water glass, smiled, a strained and tired grin.

Everyone held up their glasses of water, and everyone heading into the fray swallowed the vaccine before tossing back the water.

"We are going to do this properly when we all get back," Reno muttered as they all stood. "Good drinks. Tifa, gal, you're gonna mix 'em. And no one will be allowed to be sober for a goddamned week."

***

Zack had walked out of the conference room, following the others toward the armory, but Vincent rested his claw on his shoulder. He stopped, turned to see Vincent staring at him intently.

"Don't worry," Zack said, sincere. "I won't fail this time."

"That's not it." Vincent came closer, lowered his voice as the others went on ahead. "We will both make it through. We will both be there for him when it's over."

Zack bowed his head, smiled. It was the kind of smile he had found when he and Cloud had escaped Nibelheim. "All right, then. We'll both make it through. I'll hold you to that."

"Good. I'll meet you at the institution, then." And Vincent swept off, heading the opposite direction.

"He's not going to the armory?" Reno said, stepping out beside Zack as Rufus had a last word with Reeve and Wolff about the preparations.

"I trust he has his own supplies," Zack murmured. "See? His office is down that way, and in the same direction of the transportation block."

"You remember that?"

Zack tapped his temple with a finger. "The link with Sephiroth gave me a link with Cloud, so I knew where everything was. Just because the link got wiped doesn't mean I lost all the wrinkles in my brain."

Reno grinned. "Damned useful. Now, go on ahead. I gotta wait for the boss."

So Zack rejoined the others as they wound their way to the armory. Their time there was loud with the sounds of shifting equipment, pulling out supplies. Tifa and Yuffie both pulled out some of Cloud's old armor and gave it to Zack, which he carefully began to pull on. It was strange; the armor and added protection that he strapped onto his forearms or shoulders had so many slots for materia, slots that would be unfilled. He sharpened the Buster Sword, watched the others as they went about their outfitting with practiced precision and efficiency. The Turks came and left quickly, after stocking up on firearms and ammunition, and Avalanche found themselves ready ahead of time, going to the lobby to wait for the beginning.

The split up. Tifa and Yuffie were both stretching; Zack found he was too tired to pace or move about as he usually did. Cid was already gone to the transportation block, but Barret and Nanaki were conversing quietly. He didn't hear much, just enough to make out that Barret was asking the fire lion about his adopted daughter's schooling at Cosmo Canyon. Then Yuffie wandered over to join them, squatted down to scratch Nanaki behind the ears.

"You all right?" Tifa asked, sitting down beside Zack on the floor.

"I think so. What about you?" He watched her with concern, could still remember where the bruises would be if she hadn't been able to heal since their own battle. "I..."

"I've suffered worse, because of Sephiroth," she said, shrugging, guessing his concern. "I'm better off than others, and at least I can fight back."

Marching could be heard down one of the halls. They stood up, watched as squads of Soldiers came into view of the lobby. They marched into the large, open room, with General Wolff at their head.

"It's time to start the operation," Wolff said as Avalanche gathered close. "Reeve and I will be in the conference room. The Soldiers have a direct line to me, but for you..." He held out a case, in which were a few earpieces. "It's unlikely they'll work once you get inside, but..."

"We take what we can get," Barret said, as they picked up the earpieces, and Yuffie attached one to Nanaki's headdress.

General Wolff shook his head as he shut the case. "The snow's come down hard enough and the ice has formed so thick in some spots of the road that we can't use vehicles for transportation, so you'll have to go on foot the entire way. The Soldiers will match you step-by-step, and there's even an advance guard of volunteers who will lead the way, and try to help you keep up your strength until you reach the institution. From there on out, it's up to you." He turned his gaze to Zack. "Go make us proud, Donovan."

"Will do, sir. Right." He pulled free his Buster Sword, twirled it around his head and raised it, just as they could hear the approaching helicopters otuside. "All right, everyone! This is it! Let's move out!"

The Soldiers and Avalanche cheered. The advance guard quickly fell in behind Zack, and the group all surged forward and out of the lobby, into the frozen air. The troopers standing guard made way and cheered them on, parted the barricade just long enough to let out the flood, and the helicopters flew overhead, cutting into the silence and snowfall.

The monsters were waiting for them. They began to pour out from the streets, from the buildings, running out to meet them. None of them appeared as sluggish as Zack had hoped, but he was warm, expectant, ready, and though they were fast Zack knew he would be faster.

He readied his sword, cut down the first monster that lunged at him. The helicopters dropped the first volley up ahead, throwing up a wave of heat and flames, and among the explosions they could make out the silhouettes of inhuman corpses, tossed into the air. Already the mental institution loomed into view, dark black reaching up against the paling sky, even as the flames died down. Zack could feel the cold no longer--all he could feel was the heat, the explosions ahead as they shook street and rent flesh, his body warmed up, and still, deep in his bones, a heat that he recognized now.

 _I'm coming, Sephiroth. I'm coming, Cloud._

***

"It's working," Rufus observed, looking down as the opposing forces met down below. The advance guard spearheaded the attack and continued to thrust forward, parting the waves of monsters and safeguarding the Avalanchers who followed close behind, while the following force of Soldiers met those who were driven aside by the main push of the advance guard. It was working, perhaps not like clockwork--there, the advance guard was less than fifty yards away from their goal, they had broken up now, and even in the growing grey dawnlight he could make out the Avalanchers.

Cid's voice broke in through their earpieces. "We're swinging around to thin out their numbers with one more bombing run, and then we're dropping you off on the roof. So hang on tight and get ready, 'cause we can't take the time to touch down properly!"

Rufus pulled back away from the opening, let Vincent take his place and aim down at the roof. He had Death Penalty out and was already picking out a target on the roof; without any hesitance he pulled the trigger. Rufus was certain that if it weren't for the helicopter's loud thrum and the sudden interruption of explosions beneath he would hear a monster screaming as Vincent's bullet hit home; as it was, Vincent picked another target, fired, then, as the helicopter swerved in the air to circle back to the roof, he fiddled with something on the side of the Death Penalty, switching it from sniper rifle to shotgun. The Turks stood, grabbing hold of the railing along the roof of the helicopter's chassis as they got ready to make the drop.

The sun's light broke through for a moment on the horizon. The cliffs broke most of the light so it did not fall on Junon, but rather cut over it, and yet as Rufus looked down at the building they were to infiltrate, it was the first time they had seen what had become of it in anything like daylight.

Patches of the roof's original flat tiles remained intact, but throughout and all over the building was broken through by gigantic black cables of synthetic flesh. It was the closest thing to alien that Rufus could think of since his first sight of Jenova when he was young; he could remember the drifting tentacles, the fish-like thin, translucent membranes that had connected them so that they fanned out behind her like red wings--it was close to that, only these tentacles curled about the building as though cradling something precious.

The copter began to lower itself closer to the roof as the other copters went around; Cid shouted something about a group of monsters attempting to come in from behind and wiping them out before they could pin the Soldiers and Avalanche, trap them in a pincer. Then they were hovering just a few feet above one of the patches of normal roof and they began to jump out, crouching down as the helicopter began to lift again into the air before the monsters could attack it. Those that did leap up after it, Vincent took down with his shotgun, and then as one they stood up and began running for the roof access door. Before the reached it, several giant spiders began crawling out, their abdomens arching up and over to spray web at them. Rufus and Vincent cleared out the main group while Elena picked at individuals, and then it was into the roof access and down a stairwell.

"Shit...!" Reno grabbed onto a rail to stop himself from sliding down the stairwell, and they all skid to a halt before following him down. The stairwell was only lit by safety lights, which cast a sickly blue flourescent glow and illuminated what seemed to be a coating of a thick, slick, gel-like substance down the steps.

"Obviously, someone didn't want us to come down this way," Rude said, stepping down carefully beside Reno.

"Well, we can't stop here," Elena said. "Let's hurry down and hope more of the monsters don't come after us first."

Vincent stepped forward, brushed past the younger Turks. "I'll take point. We don't have much time; the others ought to be pushing their way through to the side entrance by now."

***

The building was in a much worse state than Zack had originally thought; Pandora's Box was definitely spreading, and if it managed to reach out far enough to where it could interfere or--even worse--infect the Shinra communication lines...

"Zack!" It was Nanaki, standing beside the alley, which was now, if only momentarily, clear of monsters.

"Everyone, let's move!" he shouted. "SOLDIER, provide support! Shield maneuver delta!"

Almost instantly the Soldiers fighting in their vicinity began to form a tight semicircle around them, so they could get to the alley with Nanaki. They only stepped aside to let Cid in, sweating already from his run through the snow and monsters and Soldiers to reach them; overhead the helicopters circled again, before they started back towards the Shinra Building. Nanaki led the way down the alley with Barret right behind him, shooting at any of the monsters that attempted to climb down the building walls at them from above. They reached the door and Nanaki stood aside to let Barret pass, so the big man could lower his shoulder and plough through the door. He stumbled inside, cursed, opened fire immediately. They could hear one monster dying already before he could take some steps forward and let them move in to help.

The side entrance opened into a small corridor. It was clearly meant only as an emergency exit, but the monsters were here as well, and seemed just as surprised to see them as they were. Pushing their way through, even in the limited space, wasn't too difficult, and when they reached the other side they carefully opened the door with Barret's gunarm ready to fire another round if something waited for them on the other side.

However, as they waited, the hallway was empty. Nanaki sniffed, and then Yuffie ventured out with her Conformer at the ready, before she finally motioned the others out after her.

There were no windows in the hallway. The only light came from the safety lights, and except for the occasional pulsating black column shoved up through the wall or floor, the hallway appeared normal. There were no monsters, no hanging batches of eggs or drifting evening sun spores.

Zack looked back at the others, then motioned for them to follow him. "It's one of the least important hallways--nothing here but custodial supplies and some storage centers, a lounge or two for the nurses. If we follow it straight down this way, we'll reach the lobby. And whatever you do, try not to touch the black stuff."

"Zack," Tifa said as they walked cautiously down the hall, "what is... the Pandora's Box...?"

"I just know that Gren had said something about a new experiment," Zack said over his shoulder. "Something that he learned by manipulating the evening sun. I think he meant to try to give Pandora's Box an expanded range."

"Hell, man, it's definitely expanded somehow if it ain't a little box anymore," Barret mumbled, and Zack shook his head.

"Whatever it's been, it's never been little. Here we go." He stopped, looked through the double-doors' windows into the lounge. "That..." He pushed through, heard the others following him. "Nurse Langley?"

She was sitting behind the reception desk, typing something into the computer, but stopped when he called her name. She turned in the chair, and looked at him with her typical stern expression.

"You should know, Mr. Donovan," she said, "that it's always wise to make an appointment before bursting in like you always do."

Cid blinked. "What in flamin'--"

"We don't appreciate such language in our halls, Captain Highwind," Langley said, standing up. Zack felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he reached inside his coat and drew a gun. He fired without taking the time to aim or question his decision; Langley's right arm landed with a sickening thud on the desk, and she looked down at the remaining stump--there was no dripping blood after the initial burst of crimson--with little emotion.

"You have got to be kidding me," Zack said. "Mutant nurses?!"

Langley looked back up, her pupils bleeding crimson as she smiled. Before she could move, another shot took her head clean off her neck, and the body wavered before toppling over. It began to shift, even as they looked up as Rufus lowered his shotgun and the Turks and Vincent stepped in, and Zack cursed.

"Quick, do something about that body, she's not dead yet!"

Reno ran over to it and lowered his nighstick, just as Langley's corpse started to pick itself up; he released a jolt of full voltage and the body jumped and blackened--long, spidery legs that had begun to stretch out from her back convulsed and it fell over, the unbirthed monster finally lying still. Reno looked up at the others and said, "Never thought I'd ever have to take out a lady in uniform."

"Obviously, you'd never met her before," Vincent said, and they gathered closely as Reno looked at what she had been typing into her computer terminal.

"Looks like some kinda list," Reno said, and Elena pushed him aside to look at the screen.

"They're names... it's a catalogue... everyone who's been infected..." Her eyes widened, and she looked up at the others. "Most of SOLDIER's on here--"

"Pandora's Box--" Zack tapped his earpiece. "Wolff? It's Donovan. Get SOLDIER out of here right now. Just do it, and wake Melantha up and make sure that more of those antibodies are being developed--anything that's ever had Jenova cells are a potential risk until we take out the Box." A pause, and then, "Yes, we're in the lobby, we've all made it this far. We'll get in touch with you when it's over."

"Mind explaining what the hell's going on, Zack?" Cid asked bluntly, poking at Langley's corpse with his spear.

"Pandora's Box has a way of getting inside your head as it is. If Gren's taken any pointers from the evening sun, then each of these branches of the Box are fit to burst with spores--oasis--whatever the hell it is--and probably project some sort of signal."

"So if any Soldier happens to be in range who hasn't had the vaccine or antibodies," Vincent said, "they'll go from carrying Jenova cells to a mutation... the new virus." Zack nodded, and he turned to the others. "We need to keep moving. There's nothing else we can do here. Zack?"

He went quickly to the set of double doors that led out down the hall with the cells that Zack recalled so clearly. They moved quickly; there was more rumbling going on outside but there was no way of knowing if the helicopters had returned for more bombings or if Pandora's Box was stirring or if there was something else happening deep below. The earpieces began to static; they took them out and either tucked them away or, like Reno, tossed them ahead and then stepped on them, destroying any possibly exploitable links for the Box to use.

They finally reached the elevator, and though Zack didn't enter any passcode, the doors automatically opened. Nanaki already checked for any signs of a staircase, but there was nothing, and since the elevator was large enough to hold all of them...

"I don't like this, but if Gren wanted to he would have gassed us by now," Zack muttered. "Besides, this is as if..." He shook his head, stepped in and motioned the others to follow. They did and he thumbed the button for the lowest floor; the doors slid closed and they began their descent.

"As if what?" Yuffie asked, one hand clapped over her stomach, queasy.

"The doors that lead to the chamber where Cloud is held only opened if Sephiroth wanted them to open for you," Zack said. "This was just like that."

Silence, and then Barret said, "There's no way he's just inviting all of us down."

"Possibly he's not." They looked to Vincent, who watched the digital numbers and letters displayed over the doors; they skipped and jumped erratically. "Possibly he wants us all to walk straight into an ambush."

The elevator came to a stop, hesitated, and then the doors came open. Zack pushed his way to the front and was the first to step out into the darkness. The halls here were always dark but they were even more so than usual; though the floors were clear, the branches of Pandora's Box spread throughout all of the walls, slithered along the ceiling, left everything in a coat of green film that blocked or obscured what little light came from the ceiling.

The others followed Zack out, stood with their weapons at the ready.

"Where're all the monsters?" Yuffie looked nervously up and down the hallway.

"They're all up above. Most of them get birthed down here, or use the pathways down here to access the tunnels, but..." He motioned over his shoulder for them to follow him, and then took off down the long hallway. He hadn't gotten much of a head start, and Tifa and Vincent were right beside him, but a sudden quake was followed by a crash behind them. It threw them to the floor; Tifa picked herself up and turned to see that a wall of the thick, pulsing black material had thrust up between them and the others, cutting them off.

Cursing came from the other side, a gun shot went off, but the wall did not move.

"Don't shoot!" Zack shouted, standing up beside Tifa. "We'll go on ahead. Whatever you do, stick to the main hallways--don't get sidetracked, or else you'll wind up in the tunnel system and might get lost."

"We'll be fine, Donovan." Rufus stepped to one of the few slim cracks between tentacles, looking at them. "I have the feeling that someone wants to see you again."

Tifa shook her head. "Look, we'll keep going, you all do the same. Just try to hunt down Pandora's Box, and we'll worry about the rest of it."

Barret's voice came from the other side. "You take care now, girl." Rufus stepped aside so Barret could take his place, and he flashed a grin at her before Nanaki nudged his way to the opening.

"Zack," the fire lion said, "I think the Box has been moved. Have you noticed? The branches don't originate from down that way. They're coming from another area. I think I can follow it; the smell's very particular."

Zack squatted down, nodded. "You do that, then. We'll see you all again soon."

Nanaki nodded, then turned and bounded off in a different direction. The rest of Avalanche and the Turks called out encouragement before following the fire lion, and Zack looked to the others. They started back down the hall, and it wasn't long before Zack stopped them before an opening in the wall. It was gigantic, and led straight into the chamber where Zack remembered first seeing the Box.

"Well, now we know how they got it out of there," he murmured, stepping across the debris and into the chamber. Vincent and Tifa followed him, staring at the dark chamber, lit with the ghostly glow from the computer terminals and several Mako-filled glass chambers. Thankfully, it didn't appear as if there were any monsters. Still, Vincent went to one of the control terminals for one of the chambers, looked at the screen.

"SLDR-002?" He looked up. "That's the designation for a Soldier."

"Ames Jennison," Zack said softly. He pointed to the chamber beside it. "And when Gren abducted Gales from the surveillance site, that's where he put him."

"But Jennison was gone for so long..." Tifa said quietly. "I remember when I first heard that he went missing..."

"Perfection takes time." Gren's voice came from further ahead, and he and Kurai both stepped into view. "You don't think I could have figured out how to manipulate the entirety of SOLDIER with Pandora's Box if I hadn't had a specimen to experiment with, now did you?" His eyes moved to Vincent, and he smiled amicably. "Valentine should understand. I used your old records to learn how to bring out a human's inner demons. You were such a useful contributor, I wish I could hand you over to the Box so she could make you an even better servant." Then he looked at Tifa. "And Lockheart. How sweet of you to come along as well. It's too bad that that Melantha managed to develop that vaccine... It would be good to show Strife what you really look like beneath that pretty face. Now, how best to do this? Three of you and only two of us. Of course, we could just let you go, specimen... He'll be wanting to see you. But your friends are uninvited."

Tifa stepped forward, slamming a fist into the palm of her hand. "Fine. Vincent and I will take you on."

"Tifa?" Zack said, but Vincent stepped forward, and Zack could hear Chaos growling in his voice.

"We'll deal with these." He looked back at Zack, just as his eyes began to darken and the skin on his face began to harden into black scales. "Go to him."

Zack put the Buster Sword to his back, watched as Kurai moved closer to Tifa, tilting his head in a mocking bow. Finally he nodded, ran off into the darkness. Vincent returned his gaze to Gren, eyes widening; he raised his claw by instinct, winced for a moment in pain as Gren's hand came around his claw's wrist, tight enough to raise dents in the metal.

Gren smiled, normally hazel eyes glowing bright green, licked his lips and then said, "This would be your throat, Valentine--" A manic note entered his voice as he lilted, "Give me a good time, and I might keep you for the Box's dessert once she's done eating your friends alive, mind after mind after mind--"

A gunshot rang in the chamber. Gren shoved Vincent away, looked down at the bulletwound in his side, then laughed and charged straight for Vincent--who wasn't Vincent anymore, but Chaos, as the wings unfurled and the demon arose, matching Gren's deranged laugh with a howl of his own.

***

The underground shook. He could feel the tremors of battle nearby, some closer than others, but it mattered little to him. What he felt even more keenly was the trembling of the Planet. It feared him; it did not know what to make of him now. The Mako that surged so close to him here screamed with the anxious presence of the Cetra. They feared him. And as he fastened the clasps about his boots he smiled at their fear.

He tightened the straps of the SOLDIER harness, then reached for his long leather coat. He pulled it on, tightened it about his body with the slim belt about his waist, then reached for his old pieces of shoulder armor, strapped it into place so it fit snug about his body. Then all that was left were the gloves, which he pulled over his unmarked hands, snapped into place over the sleeves of his coat.

He lifted Masamune in its scabbard, then looked expectantly at the door to the room.

It was time.


	18. Chapter 18

garasu no yume ni egaite  
sono nukumori ni dakarete  
kasuka na koe ni mezamete  
"watashi o koko de koroshite..."  
 _Drawn in a glass dream  
Embraced by that warmth  
Awakened by a distant voice  
"Kill me here..."_

ukabiagaru sono sugata wa  
genjitsu no naka de dore dake motomete mo  
boku ni wa modoranai  
 _No matter how much I want  
That figure rising up inside of reality  
I can't go back_

omoidasenai hazu no kieta kioku ga boku o mata kuruwaseteyuku  
"wasurenaide" sonna kieta kotoba ga yomigaeru  
"kimi wa dare na no..."  
 _The vanished memory that I can't remember is driving me mad again  
"Unforgettable" that vanished word revives itself  
"Who are you..."_

wareta garasu o atsumete  
pazuru no you ni awasete  
 _Collecting broken glass  
Like a puzzle, driving me mad_

furuenagara kono ryoute o chiisaku sashidashite  
hikari ni obieta boku wa nukedasenai mama  
 _While trembling, I hold out my hands slightly  
I'm scared of the light but I can't sneak out_

boku no mune no naka de kieta kimi no kioku dake ga mitsukaranai  
kimi no kakera subete hiroiatsume boku wa doko e yukeba ii no  
 _Inside of my heart, only your vanished memory can't be found  
Collecting all of your fragments, where should I go?_

kiri no naka de boku o mitsumeru  
kimi no sono manazashi ga  
ima nara mieru  
 _Inside of a mist, I gaze at you  
I can see your look  
Even now_

omoidasenai hazu no kimi no sugata egakinagara... wasurenai you ni  
wareta garasu no you ni kimi wa ima mo sakebinagara  
zutto boku no naka de  
 _Your smiling figure that I can't remember... like it's unforgettable  
Like broken glass, you're screaming now  
While always inside of me_

"dakishimete..."  
 _"Hold me..."_

\--"seven", track 10 from Gackt's album "Rebirth",  
performed by Gackt Camui.  
Romanized and translated into English by Mina-P and Mako-chan.  
http://www.senshigakuen.com

***

There was the silver moon and there was the crimson, in Vincent's eyes, as he kissed him. At first he had been more than willing, he had reached back and desired an embrace, before memory returned and the kindness from the older, darker man had been cruelly snatched away.

***

A hand reached for him, parted its way through warm green light. He stared up at it with wonder, and when he recognized that hand, the outstretched fingers, the weariness in his body gave way to grief and he started to reach as well, afraid and ashamed and trembling for wanting that comfort so badly, the red glow that had burrowed itself within him urging him to reach, to touch, to find comfort.

Then, as sharp as a crack through glass, reality crashed through and he was cut, thrown back into his body, into the present, into the bottom of that hated crater, and Tifa was above him, reaching out for him, calling out his name in fear.

If she had not fallen, he did not think he would have risen to meet her.

***

He remembered what it had been like to be kissed by her. The airship hovered behind them and in the red light of the Meteor the night was not the untainted blue it should have been, and there was something in him that twisted as she pressed her lips to his, the shock that became something else, blind panic. He had let it happen, though, and when she pulled back she began to cry, beat him without any real strength or anger on the chest as she sobbed, frustration lacing her desperate words.

So he held onto her, wrapped his arms around her and drew her close and rocked and he hummed his mother's lullaby until the sobs eased and she slept. He promised he would never hurt her again. It was awkward, but there was kindness.

There was kindness in him, for once, before they went to the crater.

***

Aerith looked at him, no longer looking out the window. The light from the fireworks washed the insides of the gondola all shades of colors, and he thought that they were not at all where they thought they were, but someplace else, far distant, a place of colors and light like water, some place that must have been like the Promised Land.

She looked at him with green eyes but something in them made him think of the softness of his mother, before she said with her own voice, and not the voice of a Cetra or the voice of his mother or the voice of Jenova, "I want to meet you."

He could hear his confused reply pass his lips but the words were not his own, and he could tell by the hurt in her eyes that she knew that they were not his own.

He remembered what it had been like to kiss her. Awkward. But there was kindness there.

There was kindness in her smile, in her eyes, before she died.

***

The moonlight fell on the pond and the water was freezing. Zack was gone, had heard something approaching and gone to deal with it, and had left him beside the pond.

He had stared at the moon's reflection, at the way it wavered when the breeze blew ripples across the glass-like surface. It was a mirror, and the moon was silver in the otherwise black night. It hurt him. So he dragged himself to the water's edge, so he dipped his fingers into the liquid, touched those fingers to his lips, and then looked down at the back of his left hand.

A long black mark had risen to the skin. It was a number. He knew that though he did not know what else it could mean. He knew who it belonged to and that knowledge made his eyes grow wide and without thinking he picked up a dagger that he should not have had and touched it to his skin. The pain was a type of relief; he bit his lower lip and bent closer to the water, to the moonlight, watching as the blade slipped so easily into his hand.

Steam rose from the blade. Blood dripped into the water. The silver moon's light in the water became stained as, with tears and desperation in his eyes, in his breath, he tried to cut the number away and when that didn't work, he slipped the blade around his arm and began sliding it across his skin.

He might have cried. He didn't remember, only that drops that weren't blood began to fall into the pond as well. He was cold, he was numb. The only part of his body that he could feel was his left arm, the back of his hand, and even that feeling was distant, fed into desperation, fed into fascination.

A voice called his name, and then a curse. He startled, dropped the blade into the pond, stared at the back of his left hand and at the lines of blood that crossed and scratched out the number on the back of his hand, and then Zack was there and plunged his arm into the pond, drew it back up and reached into something beyond his eyes, pulled out a shirt and ripped it into one long strip, began to wind it around his forearm. Zack was talking to him, telling him things, but he couldn't understand what Zack was saying, only felt his eyes growing heavy as he watched Zack's hands around his arm. The movement and the encasement of his arm and hand by the make-shift cloth bandage was enveloping, comforting. There was kindness, there, in that bandage, in those hands.

Zack held onto him and he thought that Zack was crying. His cheeks were wet.

There was kindness in Zack, like there had always been, before the bullets had come, and the rain.

***

When Masamune rammed into him, through him, and the Buster Sword fell from his desperate hands to the catwalk below, and his eyes had stared wide at the bleeding man before him, his mind stopped. Everything stopped, for a moment all he could feel was his body closed tight about the sword and a weak sob came up with a cough of blood.

Sephiroth stared at him with green eyes and there were words in them. There were words even as he raised Cloud high, a promise even when Cloud's hands, moving through desperation, grasped the blade of his Commander's sword. There was something that was and was not disbelief as his body moved against the impossible, and when the blade slid from his chest and he crashed to the floor, he could hear those words although they were never spoken, as he watched Sephiroth's body falling farther and farther away, saw those words and Cloud hated himself for being a traitor, for letting go, for hearing those words and being unable to cry because he was so weak.

There was no kindness anywhere. Not in him, not in Sephiroth, not in the Lifestream that engulfed everything that mattered.

 _Alone_ , the word said, and Cloud knew the voice was right, heard more words, heard the same words Sephiroth had said to him that first night--

"You will not be alone."

***

Pandora's Box hung, supported from below by the thick roots it had plunged into the earthen floor, suspended from above by the branches it had forced upwards to encompass the building and to reach into the air. Avalanche had found it easily enough, could see the Mako flowing through the veins in its roots and toward the Box itself, drawing the Planet's blood.

"That can't be good," Cid muttered as they entered the large room. "Hell, now that we're here, what do we do?"

"Cut it off from its power supply," Rufus said. "And take out its supports from above. We don't want it starting to send out its signals; there's no telling if SOLDIER's been protected yet."

Yuffie yelped and was suddenly flung high into the air; one of the "roots" had taken hold of her ankle and pulled her out from among the others. Cid cursed and ran at the root with his spear at the ready, prepared to hack at it, but Yuffie tossed her massive shuriken, the Conformer, and sent it straight at the clearest target--the Box itself. The others immediately moved as the entire room became alive, and the Box began to enclose itself with its roots and branches. Yuffie's Conformer struck the cocoon and then fell; Nanaki retrieved it as Cid managed to cut the limb apart and, writhing, it shrank back. It bled Mako and some other fluids that Cid couldn't identify, but Yuffie was falling from above and he hastily got out of the way.

She landed on all fours and glared up at him. "Couldn't be a gentleman and just catch me, could you, old geezer?" But she grinned, took the Conformer from Nanaki, and dashed off into the fray. "I betcha I can do more damage than the rest of you!"

"If you can't," Reno shouted from across the chamber, "you gotta get your dad to ship us the best sake for those drinks!"

"You're on!"

***

Tifa was only distantly aware of the other battle going on in the same chamber. She had to concentrate solely on Kurai; if he was this effective with his bare hands, she almost wondered why Sephiroth had preferred any other means of destruction.

Chaos roared nearby in pain; she glanced up after blocking a roundhouse kick that could have taken off her head in time to see a crimson-caped body slam into one of the Mako chambers, but suddenly her arm was snatched, twisted, and pain exploded from her shoulder just before she was conscious of moving through the air--then a crash, more pain, and when she opened her eyes she struggled to push herself back up; her left arm wouldn't respond to her commands, was immobile, she couldn't get up, and she felt Kurai looming over her rather than saw him, because her vision hadn't yet cleared from the pain.

"Dangerous, to forget your opponent like that," Kurai said, and as she made out his face, his eyes gleaming green, she could see that same smirk--Sephiroth's smirk. "But you're good, Tifa-san. I can see how you and the rest of Avalanche managed to get so far. Of course..." The smirk changed somehow, and he raised one hand to stroke the scar on his arm. "Taking into account that Sephiroth-sama wanted Cloud-kun to win, to set him free..."

"Free...?" Tifa coughed, still struggling to get up, and Kurai chuckled.

"From Jenova. And Sephiroth-sama was a great strategist... surely you all should have thought that he'd have started setting up a back-up plan behind Jenova's back?" Kurai stopped stroking his scar, reached down and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, lifted her into the air. "Surely some of you noticed that Cloud-kun didn't begin to change until after his introduction to me in Wutai? Who else could have begun the Reunion within Cloud-kun's flesh other than one who is, in a sense, Sephiroth's flesh?" Another change in his smile, the eyes narrowed and Tifa felt her breath catch as he asked, "Do you know, he's just like a cat? When the right hand strokes him, he purrs--"

"Shut up!" Her foot struck straight up and the metal toe caught Kurai right on the chin. He dropped her but she had regained enough consciousness even through the pain to land on her feet, clasped one hand over her left shoulder and winced as he staggered back. He prodded his jaw as he looked back at her, grinned again as a trickle of blood flowed from his mouth.

"That's more like it," he said, laughed, and then charged straight at her.

Across the chamber, Vincent was pushing himself up from the remains of the chamber. His whole body was sore and every moment felt like he was wrenching something out of place; Chaos had been broken, and if not utterly then it was still something Vincent would be feeling for a few days, with or without healing potions or materia.

Gren stepped before him, hands in his coat pockets, and although his spectacles had fallen off sometime during the fight with Chaos and there were bloody cuts across his body, torn strips of clothing, he still smiled, still looked at him with the mania blazing in his eyes. "You're perfect," he said, licking his lips. "If I knew I wasn't going to be needed soon, I'd ask him to let me keep you as a pet. You were wasted, kept chained up in that coffin all those years. All the more reason to be happy that Cloud sought you out when he did."

Vincent slowly stood, glared at Gren--Chaos might have receded, but not completely, and one eye still viewed the world through Chaos's crimson gaze. The assassin chuckled.

"Oh? You are still--" But Gren was cut off by a sudden intake of breath that turned into a strangled cough, as Vincent's face was suddenly against his own, fangs bared, and Chaos's long black arm plunged through Gren's chest.

"Strange," Vincent growled, "I didn't think a creature like you had a heart."

And he crushed the frantically pulsing organ in Chaos's hand, withdrew it and watched as Gren's body slumped to the floor. Then he turned to look to Tifa, saw her frantically defending against Kurai with one arm and both legs; the other arm hung at her side as though broken. He ran to get close and lunged at Kurai, but the Clone moved too quickly, spun around with another kick and knocked Vincent to the side. He grunted at the pain but looked up and tossed Tifa a vial; she caught it with one hand and looked at it for a moment in confusion before recognizing it.

Then she looked up, bit off the cork and spat it to the side before downing the elixir and tossing the glass vial at Kurai to get his attention.

"Go on ahead, Vincent," she shouted, tugging at her shoulder and feeling the bones realign--it hurt like hell without the benefit of painkillers or anesthesia, but she'd been through worse, the old pain across her chest from Masamune flared up even as the elixir went to work. "I'll finish this, and Zack might need you."

"Bad move," Kurai said as Vincent dashed off towards the door. "I think you're going to need all the help you can get, little girl."

***

Zack heard fighting behind him but ignored it, ignored Chaos's roar and Tifa's screams, could hear even farther away in the distance the battle against Pandora's Box, if he strained his hearing. But that wasn't important, what was important was getting into that hallway, and even more important than that, getting through the door at the other end of the hallway.

Everything that mattered. It lay just beyond the door.

Zack broke down the first door and staggered through the hallway. He went to the other door, moving quickly, listening carefully, but there came no sound from the other side, nothing that he could make out above the other noises and sounds nearby. The earth rumbled again and he worried for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, the door opened.

He ran in a few steps and stopped, lowering his sword. There were no more monsters, no more Clones, just the empty Mako chambers, the computer terminals, the wall of screens--many of which were now filled with static, or Soldiers fighting their way through all the monsters in other parts of the city--and the flat metal table in front of the Mako chambers.

Cloud lay on the table, eyes closed, chest breathing easily. And leaning over Cloud, wearing his old black leather uniform, his long hair draping across the younger man, and one hand stroking Cloud's cheek, was Sephiroth.

"Do you remember," Sephiroth said, without glancing up at Zack, "the first time you 'introduced' me to him? It was much like this, only back in your barracks. He was asleep, he had been studying... You called him short, blond, and beautiful, said it was a joke, since you couldn't call him tall, dark, and handsome." Even from where Zack stood, he could see the contentment in the green of Sephiroth's eyes. "It's true. That better fits you." He straightened, and passed the Masamune--still sheathed--from his right to his left hand. His eyes raised to Zack and it was the first time Zack had seen them as Cloud must have seen them, five years after Nibelheim's burning--cold, and mirrored, and glowing with the kind of strength that could summon a crisis from the sky. "He will sleep, still. It gives us some time to talk."

"I don't know what you want to talk about," Zack said, taking a few cautious steps closer. "I'm more surprised you haven't tried to persuade me the other way."

"With the chemicals that that Avalanche group gave you," Sephiroth said, "I know that it would be pointless. Besides, I'd much rather speak to you more conventionally. We haven't, after all, in such a long time." He raised his hand, began petting Cloud's hair, smoothing it away from his brow. He did it all without looking, and Zack's jaw tightened. "I've missed you, Za-kun."

"Don't call me that. You don't have the right to call me that."

"Don't I?" Sephiroth tilted his head to one side. "You allow Cloud to call you by our old pet names."

"Cloud didn't betray me." He shooked his head. "When? When did you go after him? The moment my back was turned? Did you send me off on some of those goddamned missions to get me away from him?"

"Tell me, Zack, how much do you really know?"

"Enough to realize I never meant anything to you. I was never your 'friend,' was I? I was just convenient."

"I'm hurt," Sephiroth said, and the tone of his voice was so calm that Zack had no way of guessing just what the other man was thinking, feeling. His eyes gave away nothing, and Zack used to always know what Sephiroth meant by his eyes. "You know you were the only man I ever considered to be my friend. I trusted you."

"And I trusted you! Only to find out now, now, after--everything that's happened, that you were lying to me the whole time!"

"About Cloud?" Sephiroth murmured. He seemed to consider his words, then looked down at Cloud's face again. "If that's your strongest accusation, Zack... then I'm afraid to tell you that there was one other traitor in your midsts."

"You ordered him not to speak about it, didn't you? You snatched him and you screwed him and you ordered him not to speak about it to anyone. You could do it, he would have listened." Try as he might, his eyesight became heated and blurred, and his voice was tight.

"You're mistaken. I ordered nothing. He wanted me, as much as I wanted him." Sephiroth's gaze lifted again, and the hand petting Cloud's hair stopped. "If you're going to accuse anyone of betrayal, then you'll have to learn you can't selectively decide what's true and what's false, simply to satisfy your own ideals."

"That never stopped you."

"It never stopped Jenova." The gaze narrowed, growing sharp. "Do not confuse me with what she did to me."

"So you blame all of it on her?"

"No. If there's any blame, it's on the rest of the world. Selfish, foolish, indulgent creatures. In the end, humanity would have become just like Jenova, only worse--she was never self-destructive. She destroyed for the sake of destruction, but she never would have wiped out her own existence." Sephiroth's hand trailed down to the scar on Cloud's bare chest, rested over it. "He saved me from her. I gave him what I could. And now I hold all of the cards. Junon is child's play. Wutai will fall the moment I give word. Gren has used all three years since Jenova's final death to their maximum potential. I can strangle the Shinra. I can kill Avalanche. I can topple Lord Godo. The rest of the world... nothing." A shake of his head. "It is all nothing, Zack. Nothing."

"Is that what you plan on doing?" Zack muttered. "Wipe out humanity? Save the Planet? That's bullshit--"

"The cessation of suffering. A world without fear. Isn't that something worth achieving?" Sephiroth looked to the screens, at the fighting displayed on the few monitors still functioning. "Returning it all to the beginning. Starting over again. Assuring entrance to the Promised Land. It is not an unworthy goal."

"If you think slaughtering people will get you there, Seph," Zack said, "then you're more messed up than I thought."

"The Promised Land means nothing to me," Sephiroth said, returning his eyes to Zack. "Not for the three of us. Not anymore."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Heh." He looked down at Cloud, his smile a small one, secretive. "What does it mean...? I'll tell you, Zack, if you help me."

Zack shook his head. "I don't think that's what Cloud would want. I can't--I could never--"

"Sad, then," Sephiroth whispered. "I had hoped... but it can happen again."

"Seph--" He broke off, watched as Sephiroth bent down, kissed Cloud on the lips, before unsheathing his blade. "You--" Sephiroth walked around the table, stood in front of it, Masamune bared. "You took him away. You took him away from me--"

"He gave himself to me, Zack."

The anger and frustration worked into his voice, tightening it, causing his jaw to clench around the words. "But why didn't you tell me?"

Sephiroth's voice was soft, and his gaze was nothing but sincere. "Because I didn't want to lose you."

Zack grit his teeth, swiped the back of his free hand over his eyes before returning it to the handle of the Buster Sword. "Too late, you bastard--" And without any hesitation he swung the sword, just as Sephiroth raised Masamune to counter the blow.

***

The entire chamber shook, and even Kurai held off in his attacks, even if only to stare in surprise at the ceiling. Tifa managed to keep her balance, and when Kurai returned his gaze to her, he did not look pleased. He punched; she dodged and struck out quickly with a fist.

"What?" she said, and grinned. "Mad that we poor humans can still annoy you? That was Pandora's Box, wasn't it?"

A low kick aimed at her right thigh but she jumped backwards, putting more distance between them.

"Momentary setbacks are just that: momentary." He pushed his hair back, tightened the black band that kept it gathered at the base of his neck. "Even as strong as you are, you can only divert our attention for so long. Time does not matter." He paused, stared at her. "And why? You know he does not care for you. He never has. He might have felt something for you, when he was small in Nibelheim, but you killed it yourself."

"It's past now," Tifa said quickly. She tightened her right glove before rocking forward. Instead of preparing the punch that Kurai anticipated, she jumped, turned it into a flying kick that caught him square on the chest. He fell back against the remains of a Mako chamber, but when he looked up at her the smile was back.

"Is it? Then why? Why hold on so desperately to something you no longer want or need?"

"Shut up! I'm not holding on to--"

"You're a terrible liar, Lockheart," Kurai snapped, his green eyes blazing and his voice becoming so familiar that Tifa skid to a halt. "No wonder Cloud was so afraid for so long--you hid and he knew, he knew all along. No wonder he always goes back to--"

But this time, she cut him off with a wordless scream. She attacked, pummeling at him with a flurry of punches and kicks that any member of Avalanche would have found familiar.

***

The blades sparked as they rattled against each other, Zack employing his full strength, but Sephiroth seemed just as strong. They were in a stalemate, and Sephiroth shook his head only slightly as they stared from behind their blades.

"You were always stubborn. It's something I've admired and hated in you." He pressed harder, kicked; the move was so sudden that Zack was shoved back against one of the terminals. He grunted but moved straight back into his ready position. "This is one time that I ask you to stop being so stubborn, Zack. One time. I've never asked you before--"

"Never asked because you could pull rank on me--don't look at me like you don't remember!" the darker man snapped. "I remember! Whenever you couldn't have your way you used whatever you had to get it anyway."

"Did I ever ask for that much?" Sephiroth questioned, but before Zack could answer his head whipped around. "Cloud?"

Cloud's brow had wrinkled, and his eyes clenched more tightly shut. When they opened, they were dazed, the blue glow soft and subdued. His mouth opened but he did not move, and Sephiroth looked back at Zack in time to raise Masamune and block another blow, following through with a surge forward and striking. Zack cursed, barely ducked beneath Masamune's wide swing, brought up the Buster Sword. It met Masamune with a loud clang, and Sephiroth pushed so hard that Zack felt it dig into the blade of his sword. He grunted, fell to one knee as Sephiroth continued pushing, eyes and face apathetic, only those mirror-like eyes--

Zack put one hand up against the back of the Buster Sword, used his other hand to push back, but worried when he saw a crack forming along his sword's blade. "Shit, Seph--"

"Za-kun...? Sephiroth-sama?" Zack looked to the table; Cloud had sat up, was watching them with heavy-lidded eyes.

"He looks drugged--"

"Pay attention!"

Masamune wrenched free from its cut into the Buster Sword and suddenly drove forward in a lunge. Zack dropped his weapon and rolled to the side, felt Masamune graze his skin before he got up into a crouch and reached for the Buster Sword's hilt. He snatched it, jumped back onto his feet as Masamune's lunge became a swing, and held up the Buster Sword to block it. The blades met with so much force that he staggered back a step, winced when he realized that although Masamune had only grazed him, he could see the blood rising off its blade as steam, could feel the cut in his shoulder. His eyes glanced at Cloud, who was watching them with nothing but weariness in his gaze, no comprehension there at all--and then looked back at Sephiroth, and for once Zack could make out sadness in the cold green.

"I'm sorry, old friend."

Masamune disengaged from the Buster Sword, and Zack watched as Sephiroth held back for a split second-- _Omnislash?!_ \--before unleashing a barrage of attacks. Zack almost gave in to blind panic, but the first time the Masamune crashed into his Buster Sword he found himself walking back, attempting to fend off as many blows as he could, but he just wasn't moving fast enough. Masamune cut into his armor as easily as if it were cloth, and his arms, shoulders, sides were burning from the blade's bite, and one more swipe knocked the Buster Sword from his hands, sent it spinning in the air, landing with a sharp screech point-down in the floor. Sephiroth drew back for the final stroke, and instead of leaping into the air to bring down Masamune in a cleaving motion, the way Zack or Cloud would have finished the attack, he instead drove Masamune straight forward. Zack clamped his eyes shut and waited for the sword to ram into his flesh, waited for the warmth of blood.

He felt the warmth of blood, he heard the blade thrusting through flesh, but it was wrong somehow and he opened his eyes and there--

Sephiroth stared, his eyes widening as Cloud drew a gurgling breath that broke into a cough. "No..."

Cloud raised a hand to cover his mouth, and looked down at it as he lowered it, saw it covered with blood. Zack could see none of that, could only see Masamune's point hovering an inch from his own chest, emerging from Cloud's back. He staggered to the side, stared in disbelief as Cloud looked from the blade thrust through him, then up at Sephiroth. The shock numbed Zack, numbed everything as he fell leaning onto one of the terminals, staring as Cloud smiled, with blood trailing down from the corner of his lips.

"It doesn't even hurt, Sephiroth-sama," Cloud whispered, stepping close enough to raise his hand, touch Sephiroth's cheek, his fingers leaving crimson streaks in their wake. "Doesn't hurt..." And as Cloud pulled the older man down into a kiss, Zack saw Cloud's hand pulling Masamune's companion blade from the air, and rammed it into Sephiroth's chest.

Sephiroth did not stagger back from the force of the blow, did not fall immediately. He pulled back from the kiss, and his hand refused to release its grip on Masamune's hilt, drawing Cloud down with him to the floor when he fell. He choked something out, but Zack could not hear it, could not even hear Cloud's response before the smaller swordsman pulled the dagger free and drove it in again, and again, each time harder, tears falling, even as he did it for the last time, so that this time the body spasmed, lay still, and Cloud choked out one last sob, one hand tangled in Sephiroth's hair, the other clenched tight around the dagger, before leaning down and kissing the older man on the lips.

Footsteps came pounding down behind him, but Zack shook his head, cried out--maybe it was Cloud's name, maybe it was Sephiroth's name, maybe it was both--ran to the still bodies and pried Sephiroth's fingers from the Masamune. He looked up and shouted at Vincent to hold onto Cloud--the other man came running, did not question, did as he was told while Zack grasped Masamune's hilt, and shut his eyes before pulling the blade free from where it had sheathed itself in Cloud's body. Cloud's breath rattled, and Zack saw in disbelief that the Masamune--since Sephiroth had been aiming at him--had entered Cloud just below the shoulder, had angled down and narrowly missed his spine. Had to have been, there was no other way Cloud could be alive--Zack dropped Masamune, and went to Cloud's side, took Cloud into his arms and whispered Cloud's name, comforts, anything, oblivious to everything Vincent was saying, Vincent was doing, until at last there were other voices, shouting, confusion--

***

Sirens. Flames. Smoke that smelt like burning flesh, rising high into the air, and even the snow that fell was black. The earth lay still, no longer trembling, but seemed as if eased back into sleep. Civilians were released, escorted by squads of troopers back to their homes, but there were no longer monsters alive to threaten them.

The snow and the clouds passed enough so the sun could set in a blaze of red, like the red of the Meteor sinking into the Planet. No one could watch it; they preferred the darkness of the cloud cover.

The mental institution had collapsed, the entire tunnel system had given way. There was nothing left but rubble and dead organic material. Already, one of the Soldiers had suggested turning the thing into a massive park, green and growing. Somehow the suggestion had gotten back to Rufus, who took it to Reeve, and the copresidents agreed that they'd think on it.

The hospital was full. The Shinra Building opened up its infirmary to take what they could. There was a scramble to get the materia back, only the Mako levels hadn't returned to normal yet and no one wanted to handle it. The doctors turned their back on it all, turned back to their normal tools, sewed, stitched, set, breathed.

Dr. Miriya Melantha was perhaps the busiest, but even she had to prioritize.

***

There was gold sunlight, green mountains. Zack lay with his hands clasped behind his head, stared up at the sky, chewing on a long blade of grass. His squad zeta had all laughed at him, called him country boy, but he just grinned and told them to mosey and played it up, and they loved him for it, became loyal for it, rallied behind him like a banner, the country-bred hick who found his way to the top.

Someone else lay beside him in the Wutai sun. For once he wasn't wearing that uniform--thank the gods, how could the man stand all that leather in this heat anyway?--but some clothing one of the captured villages had offered up; he remembered how the other man had carefully checked all of the folds for some hidden trap, he was so suspicious of everyone and everything.

Zack chewed on his grass. His friend--because he called him his friend, and Zack had welcomed the title--shifted and turned onto his side.

"I never got to do this, when I was small," his friend said, and Zack turned his head, looked at him straight in the green eyes. They were unwavering, unnatural green eyes, but he did not look away. Zack wondered why he never used the phrase "young," but the older man never did. He was always "small" in the past, not "young."

"What? You mean look up at the sky."

"No." A hand raised, gestured. "This. Lying here. With someone."

Zack scratched the side of his nose, grinned. "Aww, Seph, I didn't know you thought about me that way."

"Don't be an ass."

"If I am, it'll only be for you." Zack yawned, lost his blade of grass, but couldn't bother himself to find it again. "Damn, I'm so ready for this administrational bullshit to be over. The war's done, can't we just head home already?"

His friend said nothing, but Zack could feel those eyes still watching him, even though he still looked up at the sky.

"Seph?"

"Hmm."

"With someone. That's what you said. You saying you've never..."

A shrug, or as much as one could manage, lying on his side like that. He was like a big cat, Zack could swear on it. "There was usually a supervisor."

"When you were little."

"Yes."

"But not... someone?"

"Not a friend. No. I was always alone."

"Alone, eh?" Zack looked again, noticed that his friend's eyes were drifting closed. The warm sun, the warm field, it was all putting him to sleep. He grinned unashamedly; his friend really was a big cat. "Well, not anymore, right?"

A smile. His friend smiled, and Zack thought it was the first time he had seen him so open.

Then Zack woke up.

The room was split by curtains into partitions, and he stared with incomprehension at the curtain and then the actual room before he realized he wasn't in Wutai anymore, he wasn't--he wasn't--

"Cloud?!" He sat up and a nurse who parted one of the curtains at the same moment saw and heard him and squeaked, nearly dropping her clipboard. He pushed back the blankets and started to stand up, but the little woman put her hands on his shoulders and told him to calm down, calm down, she was supposed to tell him something when he woke up. When she managed to get him sitting again, she glanced nervously over her shoulder.

"He's, umm, they said you might not take this that well," she said, gripping her clipboard for dear life. "Umm. They said to tell you that he's... they had to use a Mako chamber? And Dr. Melantha is doing what she can. And, uhh, someone's supposed to be here soon to get you and--Mr. Donovan, where are you going?"

Zack turned and just gave her a look, one that he had seen both Sephiroth and Cloud use, not one of any particular emotion, just a look, and the nurse just stopped and let him go. He ignored the fact that all he had on was a pair of pants that came from a First Class's uniform, and didn't even have socks. Ignoring the cold on his feet was pretty easy. What wasn't was the fact that he didn't know where Cloud was, but the only place he could think that they might have him would be Melantha's lab. So he started for the Science Department, before Nanaki's voice spoke up behind him.

"You're awake!"

He turned, saw Nanaki standing in one of the intersections of hallway, his tail lashing, smiling as a fire lion could. Nanaki trotted to his side, jerked his head towards the elevators.

"Let's go," Nanaki said. "He's been asking for you."

"Asking?" Zack quickly followed after Nanaki, ignoring the stares he kept receiving. "The nurse, she said--"

Nanaki nodded. "The wound was... Tifa said, when she was with Cloud in the Lifestream, she had seen what Masamune had done to him then, but of course... Cloud could not show her how precisely Hojo prevented him from dying. This wound shouldn't have been as severe as the last, but... It won't heal." He looked up at Zack as they reached the elevators, stood up and knocked one of the buttons with a paw. The elevator dinged open and he asked Zack to hit the floor for B Block as they stepped inside; Zack complied. "She tried traditional medicine, and elixirs, and when the materia was finally deemed safe she even tried that. But nothing's been working, and so we've not had much of a choice... Putting Cloud in the Mako chamber's kept him alive, even though his body still hasn't started healing."

Zack looked out the elevator's glass wall, watched the new snow falling around Junon. "How long...?"

"Only a day." Nanaki nudged his hand with his wet nose. "The others have all spent time in there, talking to him, trying to reach him. Tifa's been sleeping on a cot that Melantha's had rolled in from her office, Vincent hasn't slept at all, and Melantha herself has been up constantly--I can't think of when I last saw her asleep."

He nodded, sighed, let his forehead rest against the glass and watched his breath fog up the glass. "I don't know what's happened."

"Have faith in him. His lips have moved a few times... We think he's been trying to speak to someone."

"To Sephiroth."

Nanaki nudged his hand again when the elevator stopped. "Maybe. Vincent read his lips once, he said he was mumbling your name, and a few others."

Another thought caused Zack to ask, "What happened to Sephiroth? To all of it?"

The fire lion was silent for a moment. "Kurai apparently fell just as Sephiroth was struck... The rest of us came in to find Tifa on her last legs. She had done everything she could, but she still couldn't win. Then we followed her into the hallway and chamber where Vincent was trying to calm you... As for Sephiroth... We confirmed he was dead, first. We didn't want to take any chances, so we set the body on fire. As soon as we had, the building started to collapse, and we escaped."

"I see..." Zack ran another hand over his face.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, out to the lobby, past the various troopers and Soldiers standing guard still around the Science Department, until they reached Melantha's office, which was still in a state of disarray, if not more so--medical books lay open anywhere there was a flat surface, except for the floor, and even then the plants had been sacrificed, moved into one corner and wilting from neglect, for a pile of reports and more medical texts. A Soldier standing at the door to the lab stepped aside for both of them without question, and Vincent looked up, as did Tifa, as did Reeve and Elena and Yuffie, as they walked in. Only Melantha did not look up, standing at the control terminal that had been installed so hastily alongside the Mako chamber. Nanaki called a greeting to the others, but Zack moved straight to the chamber, looking up at his friend, staring at the hole in his chest, below the shoulder.

Melantha looked up at him, then, as he stood beside her. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I haven't... there's been nothing more I can think of to do. But he is alive, if asleep. I don't know if we can rouse him to consciousness, or if we should even try."

"It's all right," Zack mumbled, broke his gaze away from Cloud to look at her. She looked stretched, thin, tired. "You've done what you could. It's up to him now, isn't it...?"

She rested a hand on his shoulder, a quiet gesture of comfort, understanding, and then she walked to the others and said something to them. Zack could have made it out if he was paying attention, but he was not.

Vincent stepped beside him, looked up at Cloud as well. "The others are gone."

"Mm. Nanaki said you had tried to read his lips."

"Tried. I think, for once..." Vincent was frowning; Zack could hear it in his voice, his words. "I think this time, instead of Cloud being unable to let Sephiroth go, it's the other way around."

"Greedy bastard..." A hitch in his voice, and Vincent moved quickly, moving one arm around him to support him as he broke, face in his hands. His tears were hot, hot when his entire body felt cold, numb, dead. "Dammit, Seph... Dammit, just let him go..."

"Zack... You haven't eaten anything in over a day... Here, use the cot that Melantha was letting Tifa use, and I'll come back with some soup for you, and some clothes..." It took some doing before Vincent could finally pull him over to the cot, but he did eat, and he was thankful for more of his own clothes, and when the others filtered in again he was grateful for their company.

As more time passed, they even talked him into leaving, talked him into going back to the apartment, sleeping in a real bed. Melantha threatened to write a physician's order if he did not take better care of himself.

"He let this happen so you could live," she had said, pointing at the door. "So go out and live! Check on his chocobo! Just... do something! Gods, you're moping so much I'm getting distracted!"

To which Zack replied that if she was so insistent on him living, then she should practice what she preached and just ask Tifa to dinner. At which point Tifa walked in to see Melantha blushing, and shortly afterward Zack found himself kicked out of the lab.

***

So he lived. He checked in with General Wolff and met with several of the Soldiers. He stopped by the stable to see that Takeyo had been one of the chocobo that had bravely helped defend the other chocobo while the stables were evacuated out to the fields above and behind Junon, and Takeyo was happy to see him. And he started returning back to Cloud's apartment every night, usually after stopping in the lab to wish his old friend goodnight. Sometimes one of the others was in the lab, sometimes a Turk--sometimes Rufus, though Zack wasn't sure what to think of that--and once or twice Reno dragged Zack to Tifa's bar for a drink. But everything always ended quietly at Cloud's apartment, sleeping in Cloud's bed. He wondered if he could blame Sephiroth after all. He slept.

***

One night, Zack woke up to hear the door to the bedroom open. He had been so deep asleep that he hadn't heard when the first door opened, and after rubbing his eyes he started to sit up, but then there was more weight on the bed and the mattress shifted and a voice said, "It's all right." And he looked at the soft glowing blue gaze in the night and he saw another familiar body setting a duffle down in the corner. For a second Zack was confused, but then Cloud said, "Vincent. I couldn't get back on my own. He helped."

Then he cried, and Cloud kissed him while Vincent casually got into the bed on the other side of Cloud, and Cloud hummed a lullaby under his breath until Zack slept again.

***

Zack woke up and saw rain coming down against the windows. He almost fell asleep again, but memory gave him a hard shove awake and he started, sitting up, eyes wide as he looked down beside him. There was a spot of warmth, between him and--yes, that was Vincent, so last night hadn't been a dream after all. He looked first towards the bathroom, but there was no light on, and so he looked out the open bedroom door. There was light on in the kitchen.

He carefully got out of bed, but it seemed Vincent was fast asleep, and he had no idea when the man had last slept so he left him there. He had the feeling that if Vincent wanted to wake up at the slightest movement he would, and he hadn't, so...

The air was cold, and he shivered as he stood up, grabbed a pair of pants to pull over his boxers. He clasped his arms and yawned, cracking his jaw and stepping out to the kitchen.

Cloud was there at the table, his head pillowed on his arm, which rested on the old photo album. A mug of tea steamed right beside his other hand. At first Zack thought he had fallen asleep again, but he heard a soft sniff.

"Cloud...?" He pulled out one of the chairs beside the blond and sat down, just as Cloud sat up, wiping at his face with the back of his hand. Then he looked at Zack and smiled, a small smile.

"Sorry," Cloud mumbled, and Zack raised a hand, ran it through his hair. It still felt damp at the ends.

"Hey. No more apologizing. I mean, what for?"

Cloud looked down at the album. Zack blinked at the page, saw that it unfolded from the back cover, looked as though it had been sealed so one would only be able to crack it open if one knew to look there. The pictures there were few, but there were pictures, of Cloud, of Zack, of Sephiroth with them, oftentimes standing to the side with that curious expression of amusement at whatever antics Zack was dragging Cloud into. Occasionally one of the other members of squad zeta--normally James or Tom, since those were the two who often wound up with camera duty whenever Zack wanted to be in the photos himself--showed up in the photo.

"I was wondering what had happened to those."

"Had to hide them. I was too afraid of what would happen if I didn't." Cloud reached for his mug with one hand; the other ran over the protective plastic sleeve that covered them. "I hid them from you, too."

"How'd you get out?"

He sipped from his mug, then reached down with right hand, found Zack's. "He was... frightened. I couldn't just leave him."

Zack carefully grasped Cloud's hand, leaned his head against the other. "So you were talking to him."

"Not always. Not... always." Cloud set down the mug, folded the back cover closed, then shut the album. "I missed everyone. I didn't think he would believe me. So I tried to wake up, sometimes."

"Cloud..." The younger man looked up at him, blue gaze meeting his own blue-grey. "He... What you said, when you... with Masamune..." The blue eyes turned away, and Cloud took another sip from his mug again. Zack wondered if perhaps he was pressing too hard, too early, that perhaps Cloud didn't want to--

"I told him the truth," Cloud said. "I told him..." He blinked his eyes, swallowed, and his voice became soft, thin. "I told him he wasn't alone. That we'd..." He stopped, and Zack pulled him closer, let Cloud rest his head against him. He nodded in agreement, even if Cloud couldn't see it, because he had the feeling that their old friend could.

 _Just wait for us._

"Why don't we go back to bed, huh?" Zack asked, kissed him on the forehead. "It's not even 0500." Cloud nodded, and they stood up, and Cloud led the way back to the bed, never let Zack's hand go.

***

No one asked where they were going. Vincent just said he was resigning from his position, and that he would keep his PHS unit so they could be reached in an emergency. Cloud had given Tifa a hug goodbye, had whispered something into her ear. He thanked them all again. Then he had mounted Takeyo, and Zack mounted behind him, and Vincent mounted his black chocobo, and they left.

They reached Nibelheim sometime after the ice and snow melted from the slopes of the black mountains. No one had resettled the town since the Shinra actors had vacated, and they had to chase a pack of Nibel wolves out. Then they had walked into one of the smallest houses, and dust covered everything, and they would have to get furniture because thieves and wanderers had stolen all of it. But Cloud swept off the mantle with his hand and began putting up his framed photographs, and stepped back, and looked at the one they had all taken before leaving Junon, and said that it would do.

He said it with a small smile, as he turned and looked at Zack and Vincent, and there was something in his eyes that said _I love you_ , and there was something in his smile that Zack had not seen since Cloud had been a trooper, during those rare days of unexpected happiness, and Vincent had not seen ever before.

They hung Masamune and its companion blade alongside the Ultima Weapon and the Buster Sword, which was still cracked from its last battle, and the Death Penalty. And when they asked him why, Cloud simply said that that was where it belonged, and when they asked him a different question much later, Cloud simply said that "he won't be alone anymore," and they knew he was right.

He was right. It would do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note 4-23-2005:
> 
> First, this wouldn't have gotten written if not for Thorne. I first started seriously writing Shards of Glass in the summer of 2001, after my graduation from high school, which would have also been after my completion of SOLDIERS or thereabouts. It was an idea that Thorne liked a lot, and she's seen a lot of the earlier endings and told me what was wrong and what was right about it. I think the last time I had seriously worked on the first draft was in the second semester of my firstyear at college. Then I put it away, and probably would have given up on it completely if not for her. So in a way, this fic is hers in a way that a simple dedication simply would not convey.
> 
> Second, I don't think I need to go into much more detail about the end, so I probably won't go into it. The story is Cloud's, Zack's, and Sephiroth's story, and I think it came around to the right conclusion.
> 
> Don't worry. Sephiroth is where he needs to be, and Cloud knows it, and Zack knows it too. Perhaps more importantly, Sephiroth knows it, and he can be patient now. He can wait.
> 
> Third, there might be script-like bloopers after this. We'll see. I also have approximately six pages of unused material--including Cloud's first encounter with Kurai--that I might like to put up along with the bloopers. I guess that would kinda make them outtakes or deleted scenes, yes?
> 
> If there's ever a number four or something, it will probably be posted up with the first draft rather than the rough draft. I hope this came out all right. Something about it feels right, anyway. I think so? Please let me know if there are any embarrassing errors or if you feel I missed explaining something that absolutely needs explanation.
> 
> Thanks everyone.
> 
> Sora No Kumo,  
> aka, Catt


	19. Epilogue

The weather was warm enough that Tifa stuffed her jacket back into her saddlebag as her gold chocobo, Shizuka, passed through the old woods that surrounded Nibelheim's walls and approached the mountain town's gate. It was wide open, as promised, and she pulled Shizuka to a stop at the old black iron bars, waiting, listening, looking.

Nibelheim still lay abandoned, for the most part. The houses still lay silent, dark, with curtains drawn over the windows, if not the shutters. She spied a hole in the roof of the inn, though against the inn's front wall there were some planks of wood, some roofing tiles, a toolbox on the doorstep. Behind her birds called, and several Nibel wood doves were perched up on top of the water tower, cooing and then flying to roost on top of one of the houses. Crows cawed from the dilapidated Shinra Mansion, which loomed in view even there at the gate.

Tifa dismounted and let go of Shizuka's reins; the chocobo chirped and nudged her gently with a large, blunt beak before stepping into the town and nipping at some stray grass that peeked up through the cobblestones closest to the gate. Tifa followed Shizuka through the gate, and stopped, rocking slightly on the old cobblestones. She couldn't identify the feeling that left her standing there, immobile, only that it wasn't cold or hot--blazingly hot, flames that touched the scar across her chest--but quiet, calm.

After her coma when she was little, Tifa had lost the superstitions of Nibelheim, and had never believed in the ghosts that Cloud had once mentioned during their travels. She couldn't help but think right now, however, that if there were any ghosts lingering about the empty town, then they must not have been angry or vengeful anymore.

Her breath caught, and she put a hand to her mouth as her eyes traveled to the house that wasn't hers but looked exactly like the one of her childhood--and she could imagine her father there, that dark and stern man who had always taken care of her, always--even if he hated Cloud's family--but the door did not open, and the front steps remained empty.

A deep steadying breath and she clasped her hands behind her back, walked about the town circle, looking at the buildings, looking at the old wall, at the steps that led up to the Shinra Mansion and the mountain paths, and the various smaller paths that led to much smaller areas of the town: the cemetary, the library...

She stopped, placed her hand along the side of the water tower, felt the old wood beneath her fingers, and then leaned back against it, closed her eyes and turned her face towards the sky, felt the white Nibel sun's pale heat--even in the summer--against her skin.

"It's not the same anymore, is it? To you?"

A shadow crossed over the sunlight, and she opened her eyes to watch the pale young man sitting above her on the water tower kick his legs. She smiled.

"There you are."

"I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come." He leaned down, blocked out the sun, but he smiled at her. "At least it's not the night. I'd be getting cold again."

"Have you been up there the entire time?"

"Most of it. I should have spoke up earlier, but I didn't want to disturb you." He looked back up at the black slopes of the mountains, then leaned down and held out his hand. "Welcome home."

She took his hand, and yelped when he lifted her easily up beside him, depositing her carefully on the wood. She shifted to get more comfortable on the old planks, then realized with a start that something was different.

"Your house."

He nodded. "It's not the same, either."

Out of all the houses, it was the only one with the windows open, and dark curtains blowing in the summer breeze. Though it was dark inside, she could make out the dim shapes of furniture, a few armchairs and an odd set of wooden figures on one of the sills.

"Sometimes," he said, leaning back on his hands, resting against the water tower's next level of mismatched wood and machinery, "I think that, if we had come back to something more like this, empty houses, emptiness, that everything would have been... different."

She knew he meant the first time they had returned to Nibelheim with Avalanche, and saw the make-believe town the Shinra had raised over the remains of the old town. "Would it have been better, though?"

He shrugged, looked down. "Maybe. How're things going in Junon?"

"It's all right. Everyone's doing well, Junon's recovered, and Wutai, and the first real peace treaty is going to be signed soon."

"I meant... for you, Tifa."

"Oh. Well." She felt heat rise in her face, ran a hand through her hair. "Well, the dojo is coming along. I might have a few black belts to help me soon. And the restaurant's booming, you know?"

She could feel a question in his eyes as his gaze turned to her, but he didn't press. Instead, he said, "I'm glad." His hand touched her own, not closing over it, not relaying anything more than sincerity, comfort. "And I'm glad you came."

"It's been busy."

The gaze turned away; the gentle pressure lifted. She risked looking up at him again, felt the heat dying down as he looked again at the mountains. "I'm... sorry I'm not there, that I can't--"

"You don't need to help anymore," she said, and in her voice then was her own sincerity. "You know that. You don't have to do anything else, not for anyone if you don't want to, and certainly not for everyone. Besides," she grinned, "we're doing a pretty good job standing on our own, for once."

He looked back at her, and grinned back, though he didn't seem to be expecting her to poke his side with a finger.

"Where are the others?"

"Zack's gone to visit with his parents for the weekend," he said. "It's... awkward to go along with him, so I don't. Besides, he's still patching things up with them. It'll take awhile."

Tifa nodded. "And Vincent?"

"Hunting. He said he'd be back in time for dinner."

"And things are... well?"

"Mm." A nod, and he drew up his knees, resting his chin on them while his feet perched on the edge of the tower. It was a familiar way of sitting but Tifa did not allow herself to remember that time. "He's still there, you know."

Her brow furrowed. "But I thought... Cloud, I thought--"

"Sephiroth has never left." He closed his eyes. "He sleeps, most of the time. Dreams. When he's awake, he's quiet, thoughtful, watching but not... not like he used to..." Cloud stopped, looked at her. "You don't need to be afraid for me anymore, Tifa. I promise."

She did not avert her gaze, like she would have years ago. "I've never trusted him. I've never liked him. You know that."

"It's all right," Cloud whispered. "He's... It's comforting, Tifa."

"What is?"

He shrugged again, then uncurled and pushed off the side of the water tower, landing nimbly on his feet. "Do you trust me?" he asked, and held up his hands to help her down. She came down beside him, knew the question was sincere, and looked again at his eyes, at their clear blueness, at the depth within them. There had been cracks in those eyes before, chinks in the glass, behind which everything was hidden and the truth had only leaked out in painful tears. This was smooth, though, cool and calming, and finally she nodded.

"I do."

A smaller smile. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Then it's all right then." He paused, as they walked toward the door to his house. "So... Have you...?"

It was as bad as being thirteen again, and she hoped that the flush on her skin wasn't as obvious as his had always been. "Sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"I haven't... figured things out yet."

"Oh?"

If she hadn't been blushing, she did now, as they stopped on his doorstep. "Miriya? You know--the doctor, Melantha, she--I mean, not long after you left, she..."

Cloud cocked his head to the side for a moment. Then he grinned, and said, "Zack's never remembered it too clearly, but he did say you were damned impressive taking him on the way you did. You saved her life."

She stared at him. "She... asked me out to dinner. It was a date, apparently."

If it weren't for the fact that his smile was one of genuine happiness--the kind of smile she hadn't seen in a long--no, that she had ever seen, except for those glimpses in the old photographs--she would have poked him again, much harder. "Didn't know until she kissed--"

"Cloud!"

He laughed, opened the door to his house and waved her on in. "All right, I'll wait to ask about Rude's reaction to this later--"

"You knew that he--"

"--but let's go on in and I promise I'll trade you blackmail material about the others." And they went inside, and the door closed gently behind them.

~owari~


End file.
